


In the Open

by Ash573



Series: Secrets [2]
Category: Fence (Comics)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 09:07:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26849407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ash573/pseuds/Ash573
Summary: After the media finds out about Robert Coste’s affair sixteen years ago, Nick realizes he’s running out of time before his secret is in the open.
Relationships: Nicholas Cox/Seiji Katayama
Series: Secrets [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1958377
Comments: 51
Kudos: 100





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I would recommend reading Secrets first if you haven't, since that is the first work in this series, but hey I can't really tell you what to do so go wild XD
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

“Faster, Nicholas,” Seiji said from behind his mask. 

Nick lunged forwards, trying to use his speed to his advantage. 

Fencing Seiji was normal again. Nick was more relieved than he thought he’d be after Seiji knew his secret. He thought at first that if Seiji found out, Seiji would only compare him with Jesse more. He wouldn’t ever get to fence Seiji the same again. 

Nick had been so tempted to just come clean to Seiji at one point. But he’d kept hesitating. Nick was sure he could trust Seiji, that wasn’t the problem. He’d just been so nervous to tell anyone, especially Seiji. 

Nick had gotten used to living with the secret for so long that coming to Kings Row was at first a wake up call. Robert Coste was a name everyone knew. 

The only person who knew the secret was his mom and she’d only told Nick the truth grudgingly because he’d begged her to when he was ten. But after she told him once, she never spoke of Robert again. 

So for six years Nick was left to figure out what to do with the secret of his father. He never brought up the courage to tell anyone or trusted anyone enough to want to tell them. Part of him wondered if anyone would even believe it because Robert was a fencing champion and so was Jesse… and then there was Nick. Seiji, however, had figured it all out. 

A week had gone by since the banquet and they kept training together and Nick was finding it hard to not want to kiss Seiji every time Seiji lowered his épée. 

It was that thought alone that sent Nick stumbling back as he felt the tip of Seiji’s épée hit his chest.

“Focus, Nicholas,” Seiji said. He lunged forwards. 

He adjusted his grip on his épée like Seiji had reminded him of last week. Nick smirked back at Seiji. “It’s not my fault I find you distracting.” He managed to parry Seiji’s attack just in time. 

Seiji’s face reddened, but he tried for composure. “You’re the one who wanted to train with me. Would you rather train with someone else?”

“No one else trains regularly outside of team practice. You’re my only option,” Nick said in a tone to indicate he was joking. He liked that they could still bicker back and forth.

“And you should be thankful. I’m the best fencer here,” Seiji said. To prove his point, he got another hit on Nick’s chest.

Nick rolled his eyes. “I know. You’ve mentioned it on multiple occasions.” He saw an opening on Seiji’s shoulder and got his second hit of the practice. 

Seiji barely took a step back before he was fencing Nick again. He managed to get the last hit and Seiji lowered his épée. 

“You fenced well,” Seiji said. 

“Thanks. You fenced well too,” Nick said, though he felt his stomach clench. It was still strange to hear Seiji compliment anyone. Especially Nick.

Seiji tried to hide a yawn in his elbow.

Nick was exhausted too. They’d been spending at least two extra hours a day fencing since the banquet, partially because Nick had wanted to improve his technique, and partially because he wanted to keep Seiji company while training. 

“We should head back to the room for the night,” Nick said, taking off his mask. “It’s a half hour to curfew.”

Seiji nodded, taking off his mask too. Nick’s eyes drifted to Seiji’s hair. It was still almost perfect, despite fencing for an hour. 

Seiji noticed Nick's staring, though it wasn’t like Nick was trying to hide it any longer. The past week was filled with moments like this, where either Nick or Seiji would catch the other looking.

Now that they’d both confessed their feelings, Nick didn’t exactly know how to proceed. He knew he liked Seiji but he’d never really dated anyone. He didn’t think dating a girl for a week in seventh grade really counted. And Nick had a strong feeling Seiji hadn’t dated anyone either. From what Nick had gathered, Seiji and Jesse had been so wrapped up in fencing they hardly had time for anything of the sort.

However, despite Nick’s inexperience, he knew he wanted to be with Seiji. He also wanted to make up for their first kiss. 

Seiji began gathering the training equipment they’d brought out. “We should take this back into the storage closet,” Seiji said. “The last thing I want is to have Coach make us do suicides.”

“They’re not that bad,” Nick shrugged.

Seiji rolled his eyes. “That’s because you’re fast,” he said in a factual tone. But Nick decided to take it as a compliment anyways. 

Nick picked up the remaining fencing equipment they’d been practicing with before and followed Seiji to the storage closet. Seiji slipped the key out of his pocket and unlocked it.

“I still can’t believe Coach only gives you the key and not me.”

Seiji arched his brows at Nick. “Do you honestly think yourself organized?”

Nick knew his side of the room wasn’t a prime example of organization so he decided it wasn’t worth the argument. 

Seiji opened the closet with a smug look on his face. 

“You improved a lot today,” Seiji said. 

Nick smiled. “Really?”

Seiji nodded. “I just told you so. Your technique was cleaner.” 

Nick’s smile widened as he remembered his hits. He’d been able to break through Seiji's defense twice, once near his collarbone, the other near his shoulder.

“You hit hard,” Seiji said and Nick's eyes fell to his collarbone. 

“Well, I learned from the best,” Nick said, feeling the dozens of hits on his torso, “but I can kiss it better if you want.”

Seiji’s face heated again. “Okay.”

Nick tensed for a moment in shock. Did Seiji mean now?

Nick walked into the storage closet after Seiji and was hit with memories of the last time they’d been in here. The first time Seiji had questioned Nick about Jesse…

It felt like forever ago, but the memory of it was still here. 

Seiji wasn’t trying to fight with Nick now though. He’d just set down the equipment and stared at Nick. Nick dropped the equipment he was holding and walked up to Seiji. 

“Does it hurt?” Nick asked. 

“It’s fine,” Seiji said, but he was rubbing his thumb over it.

“You must not be used to opponents actually getting hits on you. But you should get used to it,” Nick said, smirking.

“I told you once you had unfounded confidence. It seems to be making a reappearance,” Seiji said, his mouth a disapproving line. 

On anyone else it would have looked awful, but on Seiji it was just as beautiful as anything. 

“Can I kiss it better now?” Nick asked.

Seiji nodded and Nick leaned closer to kiss him. Nick made sure to make it soft and inviting, nothing like their first kiss. 

He wanted to erase every memory of Jesse from the stupid storage closet and he tried to do just that with every kiss. Nick wanted to replace the bad memories with the good.

Seiji’s hands found just enough fabric of Nick's fencing uniform to tug him forwards. Nick wound up pressing Seiji into the back wall of the storage closet. Nick had a vague memory of Seiji slamming him against the same wall, asking about Jesse.

“You are aware you didn’t get a hit on my lips, right?” Seiji asked, his voice indicating he was trying to stay aloof, but his slightly parted lips were contradicting his point.

But Nick could take the hint and he began kissing Seiji’s throat until he got to the small area of skin just under the edge of his fencing uniform. He kissed the bruising skin lightly, trying to make up for the hit he hadn’t meant to be so forceful. 

Nick didn’t know how long he would’ve continued to kiss Seiji if it wasn’t for the ten minute bell to curfew. 

Nick broke apart from Seiji, but they stayed close for another moment, catching their breath.

Seiji’s hands fell from Nick. “We need to go back to our room. We could get detention if we miss curfew.”

Nick would have gladly gotten detention for this, but he figured there was really no need. They were roommates after all. 

They gathered their bags and left the salle as fast as they could. As they walked back to their room, Nick realized Seiji was cold. He was clenching his fists. Nick wrapped his hand around Seiji’s.

“That was a better kiss,” Seiji said at last. 

“I hope so,” Nick said. Considering the first kiss was something Nick did out of anger and jealousy. 

“Did you plan that?” Seiji asked. 

“The storage closet?” Nick asked. Seiji nodded. “Not exactly, but I felt bad for bruising you. And I wanted us to have a better memory in there than us fighting over Jesse.”

Seiji nodded. “I like this memory better.”

“Me too.” Nick smiled. “Though as romantic as storage closets can be, I want to take you on a real date if you want to.”

“I would like that,” Seiji said. 

They made their way back into their room with a minute to spare. Seiji would have never let himself be so close to breaking curfew a few weeks ago, Nick knew. It seemed that even though Nick was picking up Seiji’s good habits of waking up early and fencing, Seiji was adopting Nick’s bad ones. 

They took turns showering and Nick wound up scrolling through his phone while Seiji showered. Nick was scrolling through his phone mindlessly until he got a news alert. He dragged his eyes to the top and his stomach tensed as he read it and saw the name.

No. There was no way he was seeing what he thought he was seeing. But Nick clicked on the news alert with numb fingers and saw the article itself. The headline read “Olympic Gold Medalist, Robert Coste-- Secret Affair.” 

Robert Coste.

Nick felt his whole body stiffen. No. Fuck no. How had the news gotten out? It was a secret for sixteen years. Why was it being exposed now? Who had released this? Question after question flooded into his head. Nick felt like he couldn’t even think. 

Before Nick could piece together his half thoughts, Seiji came out of the bathroom. Nick just looked at him with wide eyes, his phone had slid from his hands. “Seiji, you need to see this.”

“Are you okay?” Seiji asked.

Nick didn’t even know how to respond. He stared at his phone as Seiji walked closer to him. Nick held out his phone for him to look. Nick couldn’t look at it again. Not so soon.

Seiji’s eyes widened on the screen. “How did someone find out?” 

Nick shook his head. “I don’t know.” He was silent for a moment but he felt every question he could possibly think of rising in his throat. “Who would have known? And why leak the news now? It’s been sixteen years!”

Seiji glanced down at the article again before handing it back to Nick. “The article isn’t clear about who the leak was. As far as this goes, Robert could still come out and say it was just a rumor.”

A rumor. That’s all it could be, Nick thought. Maybe Robert would just deny it and everything would blow over.

But there was truth to it, and Robert would know that. 

“What if Robert starts looking into it? What if he tries to contact my mom?” Then he’ll find out about me, Nick thought. He couldn’t bring himself to say that part aloud. 

Seiji sat next to him on his bed. “You shouldn’t worry about that just yet. It’s only one article and Robert will probably just deny all the claims. He’s invested in Jesse's career and a rumor like this would be a setback to him. Robert will make sure the rumor goes away.”

Nick nodded slowly, trying to force himself to calm down. Seiji stayed by his side as Nick read the article over again. 

Seiji was right. The article was vague. There was no source from where the claim even came from. It was more gossip than actual news. 

Nick finally shut his phone off and set it down. “You’re right. I shouldn’t worry about it,” Nick said, more to convince himself. 

Seiji nodded hesitantly. “Nicholas. It will be okay,” Seiji said as he reached out for Nick’s hand. “Were you ever planning on telling Robert who you are?”

Nick hesitated. He never had a set plan like what Seiji most likely was thinking. Nick just had... pieces of a future. A future that depended on fencing. “I think I have to at some point,” Nick said. “I’ve known for so long that I don’t want to never tell him, no matter what happens. But I want to be better when I meet him. I don’t want him to look at me in the shadow of Jesse. I just need to fence more.”

“That I can help with,” Seiji said.

“I want to best Jesse or at least come close to it,” Nick said. That wasn’t a plan but a goal. He’d been comparing himself to Jesse ever since he knew the truth. Nick wanted to win against him, or at least come close. Close enough that Robert would see he was worth something. Maybe even worth his name, but Nick didn’t want to hope that much. The best Nick could really hope for was that Robert wouldn’t find out about his existence any time soon.

Seiji nodded. “I want you to best Jesse too.” Nick's eyes widened. “I can’t lie and say I don’t want to beat him too, but maybe it will be easier this way, even if we are rivals... if we have a common goal in mind when we train.”

Nick nodded. He wanted that. He almost responded but before he could, he thought of Seiji and their kisses and the dates he wanted to go on with him. If Nick's secret got out... how would all of this affect Seiji?

If Seiji got involved with all of this, it could impact him too. Seiji and Jesse had enough of a history for Nick to be sure of that.

“Seiji,” Nick asked slowly, “what if the news finds out the truth?”

Seiji blinked. “They won’t find out.”

“But if they do, I don’t want you to get wrapped up in this. And you will if we start dating. Jesse and you already had a fallout and you said you weren’t on good terms, and if you’re seen with me... I couldn’t do that to you.” Nick’s eyes flicked up to Seiji’s. 

Seiji considered everything for a moment and nodded. “I want to be there for you, but we don’t have to tell anyone.”

Nick nodded back and squeezed his hand again. They wouldn’t have to keep their relationship a secret for long. Only long enough for the rumor about Robert Coste to blow over. 

And it would. Nick could convince himself of that for the time being anyways.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just for some context, I think I forgot to mention this for ch.1, but this was outlined before Striking Distance, so in this fic universe Jesse never showed up twice at Kings Row in a limo and the only times Nick has seen Jesse was at Kings Row (in vol 4) and briefly at the banquet
> 
> thank you for reading <3

Nick woke up with Seiji to train. The first thing on his mind was Robert and he found it hard to think about anything else. Even as he fenced Seiji, he couldn’t get his mind off of Robert. What if Robert tried to contact his mom? What if Robert thought it was her that exposed him? 

The thought haunted Nick for a moment, but he ruled it out immediately after. His mom wasn’t one to care about the media and she hated speaking of Robert; there was no way she’d go out of her way to tell the press a sixteen year old rumor. 

Then his thoughts circled back around to Robert and what he must be thinking, but Nick couldn’t really know. He didn’t know Robert. He barely knew Jesse. Nick felt like an outsider to it all, to the Costes, even though this was all linked to him. 

Nick’s mind was lost in thought which proved an awful tactic for fencing. He could usually block out everything when fencing. Even Aiden’s notorious antagonizing tricks didn’t work on Nick. Nick didn’t pride himself on much but he knew he could fence if he truly focused on it. 

But today he couldn’t. 

Seiji, of course, took notice. Nick figured he would since they’d been training together for nearly two weeks now. 

“Nicholas,” Seiji said, lowering his épée, “we can take a break, if you want.”

Nick didn’t want to take a break, but he was getting nowhere with the tennis ball drills he’d been doing for half an hour. He hadn’t even been able to hit ten in a row.

Nick nodded after hesitating a few moments. 

They walked back to their room quietly. Nick could tell Seiji wanted to say something. He didn’t want to make Seiji feel like he had to be quiet though.

Nick didn’t know exactly what Seiji and Jesse’s friendship had been like, but from the two times he’d met Jesse, he assumed it had been mostly a one sided friendship, benefiting only Jesse. 

And even though Nick was technically related to Jesse, he did not want to be like Jesse. 

He didn’t want to be that person to Seiji. He wanted to be…

“Sorry about training,” Nick said. “I was just distracted by—”

“I know,” Seiji nodded. 

“I would have rather just been distracted by you,” Nick said, smirking, thinking back to his attempt at flirting yesterday.

Seiji just rolled his eyes but his cheeks reddened a little. “You should call your mom,” he suggested.

Nick nodded, knowing this was inevitable. He glanced at his phone, checking the time. Would she even answer? 

“Do you think she already heard about it?” Seiji asked.

Nick scoffed but it turned into a laugh. “No. She doesn’t really keep up with fencing news.”

Nick didn’t go into more detail about how she refused to talk about Robert or fencing at all, even though it was obvious since when Nick was little that all he really wanted to do was fence. 

“You should try to call her, just in case,” Seiji said and walked into the bathroom to change as Nick found her contact in her phone. 

They didn’t text often, only about the practical stuff. His work schedule, her work schedule, and now his scholarship. 

Nick pressed the call button before he lost his nerve again. He had been slouching on the wall, but as his phone rang he began pacing across his side of the room. He even started picking up his clothes that had been on the floor. At least that would make Seiji happy. 

The call continued to ring until Nick heard someone answer. “Mom?” he asked, setting his clothes from the floor on the bed.

“Nick?” His mom answered. 

“Hi, Mom.”

“What are you calling me for? I thought we got all of the scholarship papers covered.” Her tone indicated she had just woken up, even though Nick knew her work shift started half an hour ago. He had tried to remind her about it before but it was always to no avail. 

“Uh, yeah, the scholarship stuff is all figured out. But I was actually calling to ask you something,” Nick said as he ran through his hair. He expected to be nervous talking to his mom about this, and he was. Whenever he used to bring up fencing, the discussion would end in an argument. 

“What is it? I’m going to be late for work,” she said on the other end of the call.

You’re already late for work, Nick thought. Nick cleared his throat. “Have you heard the news about, uh, about Robert Coste?” 

She sighed loudly. “Nick, I don’t want to hear it—”

“It’s not about fencing, Mom. It’s about you.” Nick felt his body tense, expecting more and more of an argument.

Instead all his mom said was “What?”

“A news article leaked last night about Robert Coste having an affair. They don’t know your name or anything, but I just was wondering if anyone has tried to... get a hold of you?” He knew he couldn’t say Robert, but he wasn’t sure how else to word it. 

“No one has called me, Nick. There’s no way the media has proof of an affair over sixteen years ago.”

Nick nodded and mumbled an “okay” into the phone. 

“Bye, Nick.”

“Bye, Mom,” he said and the call ended, but he was already in his own thoughts again. He didn’t expect her to be a source of comfort, but he thought she’d show a little concern over news of an affair. 

Seiji stepped out of the bathroom, tying his tie. “How did your mom take it?” Seiji asked. 

Nick shrugged. “She didn’t care. She doesn’t think the media will find anything. Maybe she’s right,” he said, “the article was vague anyways.”

Seiji nodded. Nick wanted to believe that and he told himself he could. He just needed to stop thinking about it all.

__________ 

School was not the best distraction, especially now because the news of Robert Coste’s affair was apparently interesting enough news to the entire school. No one really mentioned Robert Coste aside from those interested in fencing, but it was just Nick's luck that everyone would be talking about Robert now. 

Nick knew he didn’t really care about the gossip itself though. He just wished that his mom cared as much as the rest of Kings Row seemed to. 

By the end of his last class, he was fed up with any discussion about Robert. The only good result that came from this was that his pent up anger gave him the energy he’d been lacking before to fence. All he wanted to do was fence with Seiji. 

He met Seiji outside of his last class and they walked towards the salle together. The school was crowded with the after class rush, so Nick resisted from holding Seiji’s hand. 

“Did you hear as much about Robert today as I did?” Seiji asked. 

Nick nodded. “In every single class. I don’t get it. Why do other people even care? They don’t even fence.”

Just then Eugene ran up to them. “Hey, did you guys hear the rumors?”

Nick groaned, momentarily forgetting he wasn’t exactly supposed to show he cared about Robert. He lied fast enough. “I mean it’s been all anyone can talk about, right?”

“Totally, bro,” Eugene said. “If it’s bad here though, I wonder how bad it is at Exton.”

Exton.. . Nick hadn’t even thought of Exton. Of Jesse. Jesse was probably getting all of this worse. Did Jesse even know about his dad having an affair? Or did he have to find out at school?

Nick nodded in shock. 

“I wonder how Jesse is taking it,” Eugene said, almost more concerned than curious.

Nick nodded again, not sure how to respond. He had never really felt bad for Jesse before but he couldn’t help but feel a little bad for Jesse too. Maybe Jesse’s world was falling apart like Nick's was.

They walked together into the salle to find Coach Williams talking with Aiden and Harvard. Aiden was showing up more often, which Nick found surprising. 

“Hello, boys,” Coach Williams said as she gathered her papers on her clipboard. “We have another quick meeting before practice today.”

The team changed out and sat down. Nick sat closer to Seiji without realizing it, and lightly touched his hand before sliding it away. He knew he couldn’t get away with much more, but he figured if this was going to be an ongoing secret, he might as well try and make the most of it. Seiji blushed but didn’t tug his hand away, which was Nick's expected reaction. 

Aiden, Harvard, and Eugene were sitting in front of them, so they didn’t have to worry about being caught. 

Coach cleared her throat. “Alright, boys, this is more of an announcement than a meeting, but I would first like to discuss the news about Robert Coste.” 

Seiji tightened his grip on Nick's hand in reassurance. “I heard about the news as well and I know it’s been a topic of discussion here at Kings Row, but I don’t think we should discuss Robert’s private life at practice. I do not know anything about it, nor do you.” 

Nick glanced at Seiji for a moment, taking in the irony of the words. 

“That being said,” Coach continued, “I wanted to tell you all that Jesse Coste has agreed to come back to Kings Row for another training session. Jesse said he’d love to spend more time at the school his father went to, so he’s coming to our practice in a few days.”

Nick coughed as nonchalantly as he could. Any happiness he got from holding Seiji’s hand was suddenly overshadowed by the news of Jesse. How was his luck getting worse? 

Nick didn’t know if he could continue to face Jesse like this, especially now with the rumor around. 

And then Nick glanced over at Seiji again. His expression was stern, an expression Nick had come to realize was Seiji trying to hide his annoyance. 

Nick was about to ask something, but Eugene beat him to it. “Wait, Jesse Coste is coming to Kings Row again?” He asked. 

Coach nodded. “That’s right. And he said he’s excited to meet you all so please be on your best behavior.” With that she looked at Aiden, who shrugged. 

“Coach, he’s so not my type,” Aiden said.

Eugene rolled his eyes and they all got up to begin practice.

Throughout the entire practice, Nick thought of Jesse, because suddenly it made sense to Nick. 

He was so nervous about Robert finding out about him because he wasn’t to Jesse's level. He needed to prove himself as Jesse had. On the piste. All Nick had to do was fence more and more, better his technique, and hopefully come close to beating Jesse. 

Team practice went by fast since Nick's energy needed some form of release. Even by the end he didn’t seem to tire, but by now it was a normal occurrence that Seiji and Nick would stay after for their own practice. 

Nick walked up to Seiji after everyone else left from team practice. They had an hour to train and he’d already wasted the hour they had in the morning. 

“You fenced well during practice,” Seiji said. 

“Thanks,” Nick said, trying his best to smile through his exhaustion. It was the kind of exhaustion that felt good, but Nick still wanted to fence. “I had to... clear my head of everything I think.” Nick paused. “But I still can’t believe Jesse is coming to Kings Row again.”

Seiji nodded. “I’m surprised he agreed to come back. He isn’t really into meeting other fencers just for friendship’s sake.”

“He wants you back at Exton.”

“That isn’t friendship,” Seiji said after a moment. “He’s persistent though.”

Nick scoffed. That was one way of putting it. “What else is Jesse like?” Nick asked. 

It was something Nick had always wondered but when Seiji didn’t know his secret it was harder to find out details about Jesse without drawing suspicion. 

“He’s determined, like you,” Seiji said. “But that is about where the similarities end. He is more manipulative and arrogant than anything else.”

“He sounds like a great friend,” Nick said, his voice heavy in sarcasm. 

“He wasn’t,” Seiji said bluntly. “Maybe when we were kids. But back then he was nice because he was lonely.”

“He was?” Nick asked. He could almost picture it: Jesse being alone and bored in a big empty house with just his parents. But Jesse still had everything Nick didn’t. Everything Nick couldn’t. 

Seiji nodded. 

Nick wondered for a brief moment if Jesse ever wanted a brother, but Nick erased the thought immediately after. There was no way a spoiled rich kid like Jesse could want a half brother to remind him of his dad’s affair. 

Nick looked up at Seiji. “I’m ready to fence again.”

They fell into the ease of fencing again. Nick didn’t care who he was fencing on the team, but Seiji was no doubt the one who Nick always wanted to fence. Seiji pushed him more than anyone. 

Nick wondered again if Jesse had felt that way about Seiji too. Part of Seiji’s talent was his unintentional way of inspiring everyone around him to work just as hard. Had Seiji pushed Jesse like that?

If so, Nick could see why Jesse wanted Seiji back, but Jesse didn’t seem like the type of boy to understand that so-called friends weren’t objects. It made sense why Jesse could never ‘have’ Seiji. Seiji wasn’t something to have. Unlike everything else in Jesse’s life, Seiji wasn’t handed to Jesse. 

Nick realized then that even though he was envious of Jesse for many things, he was thankful he would never make the mistake of losing Seiji like Jesse did.


	3. Chapter 3

Thankfully for Nick, and for Jesse, Nick supposed, all the talk about Robert had died down after another day. But if Jesse was anything like Nick, then he hadn’t stopped thinking about the rumor of the affair. 

Nick, however, was able to ignore his continuous thoughts when he fenced. He was still good at shutting it all out, Nick reminded himself. If he could tune out Aiden’s interrogations and even Seiji’s, an unconfirmed rumor was not going to distract him. 

The thought ran though his mind as he picked up his speed. 

Nick quickly parried Seiji’s attack and saw an opening on the left side of his chest. It was small, but his blade was already moving, hitting Seiji there directly. Even to Nick's own eyes it was fast.

Seiji’s eyes widened in shock as he stumbled back. 

Nick could tell Seiji was just about to find his footing and they'd go back to fencing, but he heard footsteps coming from the entrance and he turned. Jesse Coste was there wearing his crisp white Exton uniform with his fencing duffle resting on his shoulder, standing by the door. Nick didn’t know how long he was just watching Seiji and him. 

Jesse walked into the salle like he owned it. Just because Robert went to this school didn’t give him some kind of upper hand, Nick thought, but he knew he was wrong. Would Coach have been so willing to invite Jesse back again if he wasn’t Robert Coste’s son?

Jesse smiled as he greeted them. Well, he greeted Seiji. The dull look he gave Nick was hardly a greeting, but Nick wasn’t expecting anything more.   
But for Seiji, Jesse put on a charming smile. Nick couldn’t help but think how similar his smile was to Robert's. “Hello, again, Seiji,” Jesse said, extending a hand.

Seiji took it but he didn’t bother removing his fencing glove. “Jesse, what are you doing here? Team practice doesn’t start for another twenty minutes.” 

Jesse just laughed and waved it off. “I didn’t want to be late.”

There was a silence that lingered too heavy in the air. Nick had a feeling they were all thinking about the rumor. 

Seiji was the first to speak, though he looked reluctant to. “How are you? We heard about—”

Jesse’s pleasant face turned sour. “I figured. But my father’s taking care of it. There’s no evidence of anything.” 

Seiji nodded. 

Nick was taken aback by Jesse’s words. So Jesse didn’t know about the affair. Robert really lied to him. Nick didn’t know what to expect; it wasn’t like he knew Robert or what kind of father he was. 

Jesse continued. “Anyways, we didn’t get to talk at the banquet so I wanted to talk to you.”

“We’re busy,” Seiji said, gesturing to Nick.

Jesse’s examined Nick from head to toe, not quite able to hide his disapproval. 

“And you are?” Jesse finally said at last. 

“Nicholas,” Nick said, not daring to give away his last name. 

“Are you on the fencing team?” Jesse asked. 

Nick nodded. “I’m a reserve.”

Jesse frowned. “I thought Gene was your team’s reserve.”

Gene? Nick was distracted for a moment but he ignored it for now. “We have two reserves.”

Instead of responding, Jesse nodded and turned back to Seiji. “I didn’t realize I was intruding on a special match. Seiji, was I deceived or did he really just get a hit?”

Seiji stared back at Jesse coldly. “Nicholas is rather talented, so yes he did get a hit on me. And we weren’t finished with our match.”

Nick’s face heated as Seiji spoke. Seiji had called him talented before, but the fact that he was saying it to Jesse was better. 

But the warmth in his chest dropped to his stomach as Jesse turned back to Nick and said, “Fence me.”

Nick couldn’t have heard Jesse right. Why would Jesse want to fence him? He’d been so desperate for Seiji’s undivided and uninterrupted attention only seconds ago. 

“What?” Nick asked. His eyes flitted to Seiji for a moment and he could see Seiji was just as confused as he was. 

Jesse scoffed and crossed his arms, as if him having to repeat himself was the worst inconvenience he’d faced in a while. Was this really the same boy whose father had just been exposed for having an affair? 

Jesse spoke again, slower. “I said I want you to fence me.”

“Uh,” Nick began but Seiji suddenly spoke up. 

“Nicholas, you should fence,” Seiji said, his voice entirely serious. 

Nick stared at him dumbfounded.

Jesse smiled, though Nick hadn’t given an answer. “Perfect. I’ll change out now then.” And with that he left for the locker room towards the back of the salle.

Nick watched him walk away for a moment before turning his attention back to Seiji. 

“Why did you tell Jesse I should fence him?” Nick asked. 

“Because I thought you’d want to,” Seiji said. 

“When did I imply that?” Nick asked, already feeling panicked. There was no way he could fence Jesse now. He was barely improving his technique and Jesse had the same speed as him, Seiji had said, so even that couldn’t really help Nick. 

“The best way to learn how someone fences is to fence them. No matter how much you study their technique on the sidelines, the best practice is physical. I figured you wanted to beat Jesse to prove yourself to Robert, so now is your chance to start learning Jesse’s fencing technique and this way you aren’t fencing him as his brother,” Seiji said. 

His words made sense to Nick suddenly. Seiji was a genius, not that that surprised Nick. Seiji’s tactics when it came to fencing were near perfect. Nick realized this could be his only chance to fence Jesse because Jesse right now wanted to fence him. 

Jesse was selfish, Seiji had said. If Jesse didn’t want to do something he wouldn’t and he felt entitled to what he wanted. As much as Nick would have liked to see that smug look wiped off Jesse's face if Nick had said no to a match, Nick knew he needed to fence Jesse now because he’d caught Jesse’s interest now. 

And Jesse didn’t know who he was. Not yet. This might also be the only chance Nick ever got to fence Jesse without being compared to him. Robert wasn’t here to compare them. Jesse probably wouldn’t even think twice about Nick after they fenced. And that would be it. 

“Okay, I’ll do it,” Nick said, staring back at the locker room. “I’ll fence him.”

Nick knew he couldn’t win against Jesse. There was too wide a gap between their techniques. He’d seen that so clearly when Jesse visited Kings Row last time. Jesse and Seiji were far ahead of him in technique and skill... but Nick needed this experience. Seiji was right. 

Seiji nodded. “I’ll watch, so we can work on your technique later.”

Nick nodded, but his shoulders were already feeling tight. 

Seiji took notice immediately and pressed his hand gently in between Nick’s shoulder blades. “You shouldn’t tense your shoulders,” Seiji said. 

Nick rolled them out and Seiji dropped his hand.

Jesse walked back out of the locker room with his fencing uniform on and his mask and épée in his hand. He held out his hand to Nick and Nick shook it. 

“You’re left-handed,” Jesse noticed since neither of them shook hands with their gloved hand. 

Nick nodded. 

Jesse smiled again and it unnerved him. “This should be interesting. I don’t fence many left-handed fencers.”

Nick didn’t know what Jesse was going for, so he just slipped on his mask and Jesse followed his example. 

“Seiji, you can be the referee right? Or are you too biased for that?” Jesse said, glancing between Nick and Seiji. 

Nick’s face heated.

Seiji nodded. “I will be unbiased.”

But Seiji still gave Nick a quick nod of good luck. It was probably to piss off Jesse but Nick wanted to kiss him for it anyways. 

The match began and Jesse was already moving. Fuck, Nick swore to himself. Jesse was fast. 

He moved swiftly with his blade extended and within the first minute of fencing, Jesse got a hit. 

Jesse hit hard. Not as hard as Seiji, but hard enough. 

Jesse smiled behind his mask and it only pissed Nick off. Jesse’s arrogance seemed to increase when he was fencing. 

Nick suddenly had even greater admiration for Seiji. How he had managed to fence Jesse for years before fighting was beyond Nick's impulse control. 

But Jesse was no doubt talented. He fenced with the same natural ease and honed technique as Seiji, though he was faster than Seiji. 

Nick lunged forwards, seeing an opening on the left section of Jesse’s chest. But Jesse detected Nick's move. Jesse parried his attack again. 

Nick forced his mind to go back through every correction he’d gotten on his technique to make sure none of his moves were telegraphed. 

He let his shoulders loosen and he tightened his grip on his épée. Jesse got another hit on Nick's arm. 

Nick studied more of Jesse’s techniques, trying to gather a better sense of how Jesse fenced. It was hard though because Jesse fenced quick.

Just watching Jesse made Nick pick up his speed as well. 

Then Nick saw another opening, it was small, barely even an opening on his wrist, but Nick went for it and he got a hit. 

Nick’s eyes widened in shock for a moment, in awe that he actually got a hit. Against Jesse Coste. The top ranked fencer in their division. 

Jesse’s smug smile fell into a stern line behind his mask but he composed himself again in an instant. 

Nick parried his next lunge and narrowly missed a hit on his arm. They fenced and Jesse was able to get more hits in. Jesse’s years of training with the help of Robert were shining through while Nick struggled to get points. He kept seeing openings, small and almost undetectable, but not impossible. The strange thing was that Nick had a feeling it wasn’t speed that was preventing him from hitting those openings. Jesse was fast but every time he sped up, Nick did as well. Technique was the gap between them. 

Nick didn’t realize it until now, how much Seiji was telling the truth. Maybe he was as fast as Jesse. That was what Seiji had noticed from the start. But if Seiji had noticed the similarities…

Would Jesse?

Nick didn’t think Jesse was paying enough attention to notice. He seemed arrogant enough that he would win. Jesse was ahead with 14-1. 

Nick knew he was running out of time and speed, so he took another chance when he saw Jesse’s next opening, another small opening near his shoulder. Jesse’s épée pressed against his chest but the tip never hit him. Nick was able to maneuver around it just in time and got the hit on Jesse’s shoulder. 

Jesse’s eyes widened and he gasped for a moment. He almost looked like he was about to say something.

Nick paled, not wanting Jesse to ask questions. 

Jesse didn’t. They went back into fencing but it only took Jesse a minute before getting the last hit and winning the match. 

They lowered their épées and took off their masks. Nick was breathing heavy and he could tell Jesse was too, though he concealed it better. 

Jesse just blinked at Nick for a moment, silent. Then he extended his hand and smiled his perfect smile. “Good match,” he said. 

Nick returned a smile that was nervous at best. “Good match.”

Seiji walked up to them. He gave Nick a nod of approval and then turned to Jesse. “I told you Nicholas is a good fencer.”

Nick blushed again at Seiji’s words. 

Jesse nodded and glanced at Nick, a cool glare in his eyes. “Yes, you are quite fast.” Then he gave his undivided attention to Seiji. “I can see what you are doing, Seiji.”

Seiji blinked. “What?”

Jesse laughed and crossed his arms. “You can’t tell me this team is helping you improve. Just because he is left-handed—”

“I’m right here,” Nick interrupted.

Jesse continued, “doesn’t mean he can serve as my replacement.”

Nick was about to argue but Seiji beat him to it, “Nicholas isn’t your replacement, Jesse. He’s actually faster than you.”

Jesse just waved him off with a condescending laugh. But before Jesse could respond, Coach Williams and the rest of the team came in. 

“Hello, Jesse,” Coach said with a wave. 

“Hello, Coach Williams. It’s nice to see you again,” Jesse said. 

Harvard called Seiji away to help set up for practice, which left Jesse and Nick momentarily alone. 

Nick was about to go after Seiji when Jesse stopped him. His entire body went rigid. 

“Seiji will get bored of you eventually. You’re not enough of a challenge for him,” Jesse said, eying Nick. “But you are fast. Maybe we’ll have to fence again.”

Nick didn’t know exactly how to respond. Seiji wouldn’t treat Nick like Jesse had treated Seiji, Nick was sure of it, so he didn’t bother arguing with Jesse about that. But Jesse also mentioned his speed, and he didn’t know what to say to that either. Part of Nick was happy Jesse hadn’t just ignored him and tossed him aside like any other fencer, but he also knew there was a danger of gaining Jesse’s attention. 

“Maybe,” Nick said.

But Nick knew he wanted to fence Jesse again. He needed to. He needed to win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not gonna lie writing Jesse was fun lol (kinda wanna makes me write a Eugesse part to this series...)
> 
> Thank you all for reading! <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so I think I said before that this fic wouldn't contain SD spoilers, but some random stuff from SD kind of slipped into this chapter, so fair warning (they're not major plot spoilers though)

Three days had passed since Jesse had come to practice. After last week’s rigorous practices, Coach and Harvard had agreed that they could take a day off.

“Are we really going to the clubhouse?” Seiji asked, his hand tightly gripping Nick’s. The forest outside Kings Row was freezing, especially at dusk. “Harvard said the meeting is at eight.”

“It’s not a meeting,” Nick said, “it’s team bonding and all we’re doing is eating the junk food Kally’s moms brought and hanging out.”

Seiji rolled his eyes. “So why are we coming here early?”

Nick almost thought he was serious but he saw Seiji’s cheeks redden. Nick kissed his cheek as they walked. “I figured it’s the best option we’ve got unless you wanted to return to the storage closet. But since Aiden walked in on us once, this seems safer.”

Seiji nodded and they snuck into the clubhouse. The door creaked open to reveal the clubhouse just as they had left it. The team used it every once in a while, but not since Nick and Seiji had been together.

“What if the team comes early?” Seiji asked, straightening his school blazer.

“We’ll hear them. The door creaks,” Nick said.

Seiji considered it but only for a moment. “Then we shouldn’t waste time,” Seiji said.

Nick smiled as he leaned in to kiss Seiji. Kissing Seiji was even better than fencing him, which Nick thought almost impossible. Though Seiji was newer to kissing than Nick was, Seiji seemed to be learning fast. In the past week of being together, they snuck around when they could, not caring too much about the location other than that it was hidden. The storage closet and their room were the only places they’d revisited, but Nick thought the clubhouse was more private.

Nick pulled Seiji closer to him by grabbing his tie. Seiji’s hands went to his shoulders and they kissed again. Seiji deepened the kiss, opening his mouth slowly. Nick leaned Seiji into the door of the clubhouse. The door creaked.

Nick pulled away slightly. “See, this way we’ll know for sure if anyone is coming.”

Seiji rolled his eyes, but Nick couldn’t take his annoyance as seriously when his lips were red from kissing. “I think they’d wonder what I was doing pressed against the door,” Seiji said. “And why my clothes are a wrinkled mess,” he said, gesturing down to his shirt where Nick's fingers were still interlaced with his tie.

Nick let the tie go. “You’ll just have to mess up my clothes then too. So it looks like we were fighting.”

“Your clothes are already messy,” Seiji said, but his hands found the collar of his blazer and kissed Nick anyways.

Nick smiled into it, then began trailing kisses down Seiji's throat. He hadn’t forgotten his promise to kiss the marks he’d made on Seiji’s skin, and he figured now was as good a time as any. Seiji tilted his neck, allowing Nick to kiss where he wanted to more freely. Nick’s fingers loosened Seiji’s tie and collar to expose Seiji's collarbone.

His kisses were light at first, just brushing over Seiji’s skin that was nearly perfect now, though he could tell it was sensitive. Nick began teasing the skin there between his teeth, gently sucking on it. Seiji sighed into it and Nick's kisses became rougher.

Seiji shifted his neck. “Wait—”

Nick stepped back, worried he’d gone too far. He opened his mouth to apologize, but Seiji spoke first. “You weren’t supposed to make the mark worse, Nicholas,” Seiji said, rubbing a hand over his collarbone. His face was flushed and his clothes still disheveled.

“Well technically the mark had faded,” Nick said, brushing his thumb against the still sensitive skin. “But did you like it?”

Seiji’s cheeks reddened. “Yes,” he said, “but how do I explain this?”

“You could say I got a hit, which is actually true. We could even get Jesse to confirm it,” he said, remembering how big of a deal Jesse had made that hit.

Seiji rolled his eyes. “Jesse wouldn’t say that. He’d say it makes me a subpar fencer.”

Nick was taken aback. Jesse was an asshole, but Nick hadn’t thought of just how awful he had been to Seiji in the past. “You aren’t a subpar fencer, Seiji. And a hit doesn’t make you one.”

Seiji nodded. “I know. It’s just that Jesse doesn’t take kindly to losing at all. He thinks every hit against him is a loss. He’s probably milling over your two hits from your match.”

Nick hadn’t expected that. He’d been so distracted by Jesse’s natural arrogance. “I was thinking about Jesse the other day. I was wondering... do you think he noticed my speed? He mentioned it, but—”

“He did,” Seiji said. “I don’t think he knows what it means yet, but he mentioned it. The fact that he complimented you says enough.”

Nick pursed his lips. He tried to convince himself it wouldn’t mean anything. Jesse had noticed his speed, but plenty of fencers were fast. Robert hadn’t even told the truth about the affair. Jesse had no way of knowing anything. “Jesse also mentioned you,” Nick said, wanting to get it all off his chest. Seiji’s brows rose. “He said you’d get bored of me after you were done with me.”

“I’m not going to get bored of you,” Seiji said. “Jesse only said that because that’s what he does. He gets bored and leaves people behind.”

Nick nodded, kissing Seiji’s cheek. “So you were the only friend he ever had?”

Seiji shrugged. “At first. Then I was the only person he wasn’t bored of.”

“What a great brother,” Nick noted dully, but he froze on the last word. He’d never said it aloud before.

Before Seiji could respond, they heard the door handle jiggle and they distanced themselves from each other. Seiji’s eyes went wide as he tried to fix his shirt and tie.

Harvard and Aiden came in carrying bags of food.

“You two are here early,” Aiden remarked.

“We didn’t want to be late,” Seiji said. Seiji remained composed but Nick was sure his own face heated. Nick could see the mark he’d made above Seiji's collarbone and he motioned for Seiji to fix it once Aiden and Harvard had turned around.

Seiji tugged his shirt upwards.

Aiden stared at Seiji before shrugging and helping Harvard set up. Nick and Seiji offered to help too.

Then Eugene, Tanner, Kally, Bobby, and Dante came in. A rush of cold air came in with them.

Tanner was already shouting. “It’s freezing out here. What was wrong with doing these feasts in Bobby and Dante’s room?” He asked as he rubbed his hands together for warmth.

Kally handed him a blanket that was draped over the couch. Tanner took it with a quick ‘thank you’ but went back to glaring. “Seriously, why?”

Aiden laughed. “You didn’t know? I set their curtains on fire and am now banned from their room.”

Dante shrugged, unsympathetic. Bobby laughed. “It’s fine, I needed a reason to decorate anyway.”

They all settled into the clubhouse, grabbing food and huddling around the couch or the floor.

“So, how is the team doing?” Kally asked. Midterms had just finished, so Kally and Tanner, who sometimes attended practice, hadn’t gone for a few weeks.

“It’s been going really well,” Harvard said, smiling. “We’re all improving a lot. I think as long as we keep our practice schedule, we’ll be ready for our first real match.”

“How was the banquet?” Tanner asked. “Any fights?”

Nick and Seiji eyed each other for a quick moment.

“No, sadly,” Aiden said, “but there’s always the winter banquet.”

“The winter banquet?” Nick asked.

Harvard nodded. “We have two annual banquets. The winter banquet is more of a charity function, but the fencing teams still attend.”

Nick was not looking forward to having to see Robert again. There was no way he could face him now, even if the rumor faded more over time. But it was far enough away that Nick didn’t give it more thought.

“I heard Jesse Coste came to your practice again,” Bobby said. “How did that go?”

Harvard spoke again. “He’s an excellent fencer, so we should be grateful he wants to practice with us. I heard you fenced him before practice, Nick, how did that go?”

Nick cleared his throat, reminding himself no one else knew anything about who Jesse was to Nick. “He’s really good,” Nick said. “And fast.”

“Nick got a few hits on Jesse,” Seiji said.

“Did Nick get a hit on you too?” Aiden asked Seiji, tapping his collarbone where Seiji’s collar had slipped down, revealing the mark Nick had made only a half hour ago.

Nick coughed at first, but nodded. “Yeah, we were fencing before Jesse came.”

Aiden nodded, though Nick couldn’t tell if he bought it. Not that what Nick was saying was a lie.

“I would pay to see Jesse's face when someone gets a hit on him,” Eugene said, thankfully taking the attention off of Nick and Seiji.

Nick managed to laugh too, remembering how shocked Jesse had been.

“Maybe next time,” Harvard said with a laugh.

Nick turned to Harvard. “Wait, you said Jesse wants to practice with us? Did you mean like... again?”

Harvard shrugged. “He wasn’t too clear, but he mentioned after practice that he’d like to come back again. We said there was no pressure, especially considering everything he’s going through with the rumor.”

Nick nodded. The rumor Jesse so surely didn’t believe. The rumor Robert had lied to him about.

“Did he say anything about the rumor?” Aiden asked Nick and Seiji.

Seiji let Nick speak. “He said it’s untrue and that there’s no evidence to back it up. He didn’t seem too concerned about it.”

“Do you think Robert actually had an affair?” Aiden asked Seiji, the only one who knew the Costes better than anyone else.

Seiji hesitated. “I don’t know. I didn’t know Robert well. But we shouldn’t be discussing this. That was Coach’s decision.”

Everyone nodded in agreement and Nick didn’t have to hear any more about Jesse. The rest of the night went by fast as they ate and talked while _The Princess Bride_ played in the background. Aiden and Harvard were invested in the movie and most of the rest wound up falling asleep on the couches. Eugene was uncharacteristically quiet and was texting on his phone for the better part of an hour.

Nick’s head kept falling onto Seiji's shoulder, trying to stay awake. Seiji nudged him each time. Nick heard his phone go off in the pocket of the school blazer he discarded.

Nick rose and grabbed his phone. It was his mom. He hesitated, staring at the contact. Why would she call him so late at night in the middle of the week? It was almost ten o’clock. Nick felt a pit open in his stomach. Whatever it was, it probably wasn’t good news.

Seiji gave him a concerned look but Nick nodded in reassurance.

“I’ll be right back,” Nick said, slipping outside the clubhouse and into the cold night air.

Nick tried to forget his nerves and answered the phone. “Mom?” He asked. “Is everything alright?”

“I’m fine, Nick,” she said, then she cleared her throat. “I was just calling because someone called my cell. I answered but no one spoke, it just went silent and then the call ended.”

“They just... hung up?” Nick asked.

“Yeah,” she said. “You didn’t have anything to do with this, did you?”

Nick’s stomach tightened. “I didn’t give your number to anyone. Who... who do you think was calling you?”

He didn't know if it was the cold or if it was his nerves that was making him shiver. He didn’t know if he wanted her to say the name they were most likely both thinking.

His mom was silent for a moment. “Forget it,” she sighed. “I need to go. Good night, Nick.”

“Good night, Mom,” he said into the phone and she hung up. Nick stared at his phone for a moment before shutting it off.

He didn’t exactly know what to think. His mom had been so sure that no one would call her only last week and now someone had. But it could have been a random caller, and if it was really Robert, why would he call only to not speak? Nick shoved his phone in his pocket and went back inside the clubhouse.

Seiji turned to meet him instantly. “Was it—”

“It was my mom,” Nick said, standing awkwardly near his seat on the couch from before. He was suddenly aware of how late it was, so it wouldn't be strange if he left. Everyone else was almost passed out anyways. “I think I’m gonna go back to our room.” Harvard nodded and Bobby waved goodbye.

Seiji stood too. “I’m tired too.”

They left quickly and once they were walking back towards the Kings Row dormitories, Nick finally felt ready to talk. “Someone called my mom,” Nick told Seiji, “but they didn’t say anything after she picked up.”

“Does she think it's Robert?” Seiji asked.

“She didn’t say,” Nick said. “She just called to ask me if I knew.”

“Who do you think it was?”

Nick shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t think Robert would call her though.”

Seiji nodded.

“You said you didn’t know Robert well, but… do you remember anything about him?” Nick asked. He wasn’t entirely sure why he asked, but he did.

“He was a good dad, according to Jesse, but from what I remember, he really only talked with Jesse about fencing.”

Nick nodded. Somehow he had thought of that possibility. He figured since Robert was also Jesse’s coach that fencing would be a strong bond between them. There was a small part of Nick that wondered if he’d feel different about Robert and Jesse, the idea that he had another family, if he wasn’t so passionate about fencing. He wondered if he could have lived without wanting to meet his father. But Nick, despite himself, had always seen so much of himself in Robert, the only person he knew of that loved fencing as much as him. He’d felt too connected for too long now to think differently.

Nick was restless as he tried to sleep that night, thinking about the phone call and wishing he knew who it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone know how to remove this note at the end? (I just realized it’s there but that was supposed to go on chapter 1 not on chapter 4!!! Ughhh ao3 is gonna kill me)


	5. Chapter 5

The anonymous call was still on Nick’s mind, two days later. Nick had texted his mom again afterwards, asking her to text him if they called again. She had agreed but no text came through afterwards. 

Fencing, thankfully, took Nick's mind off of it all. And so did Seiji. Just being near Seiji took away half the stress. 

Then team practice came. Seiji and Nick walked into the salle from the locker room to see Coach standing with Jesse. 

“What is Jesse doing here?” Nick said, his stomach hollowing. It was a stupid question, Nick knew, as Jesse was standing right in front of him with his fencing uniform on. 

Seiji shrugged. “I didn’t think he’d return so soon.”

Jesse was talking with Coach, smiling and talking like a perfect student. Nick honestly didn’t believe Coach bought that act, but maybe Jesse was a better actor then Nick thought. 

Jesse caught Nick's eyes and flared for a moment, his eyes darting between Nick and Seiji. 

Nick eyed Jesse with hesitation. This time he would refuse to fence Jesse. He had tried to last time and it was too big of a risk that Nick hadn’t considered. This time he would be more careful. 

But team practice went by without Jesse even saying a word to nick. Jesse was cordial with Seiji, though Seiji was not adamant about responding. All Jesse did during practice was fence Seiji and Harvard. Aiden didn’t show and for once Nick was envious of Aiden’s habits. If he’d known Jesse was returning, he could have snuck off with Seiji somewhere else.

Nick studied Jesse as he fenced Seiji and on more than one occasion, saw Jesse stumble a little in his motions. He wasn’t as quick with his feet either. Something about Jesse's fencing seemed entirely off.

But Nick didn’t want anyone else to see him studying Jesse’s fencing. Nick asked Eugene to practice together instead so they could both ignore Jesse. There was no way Eugene could be able to stand Jesse, right? Eugene was too nice and far too compatible to last long with Jesse. But Nick caught Eugene glaring in Jesse’s direction and then back at Nick. 

“Is Jesse pissing you off too?” Nick asked. 

Eugene’s brows raised. “Uh yeah, totally, bro. I don’t know why he keeps insisting on coming back. What’s your deal with him?” Eugene asked. 

“My deal?” Nick asked. 

“Yeah,” Eugene said. “I just mean, you’re obviously annoyed he’s here too.” 

Nick hesitated. Eugene would have kept the truth a secret, Nick was sure, but this didn’t feel like the right time. Not yet. 

“I guess I just don’t understand why he has to fence here so often. And he always fences Seiji. Doesn’t he have someone else to fence at Exton?” Nick asked, crossing his arms.

“Do you not like that he fences here or that he fences Seiji?” Eugene asked, a grin appearing at the corners of his mouth.

Nick hesitated but his cheeks flushed. “I- I don’t like that he fences here.”

Eugene nodded slowly, as if unconvinced. But Eugene didn’t push it either. 

“What about you?” Nick asked. “Jesse called you Gene the other day.”

Eugene coughed. “He did?”

Nick nodded, confused. 

“That’s strange. I don’t know him well.” Eugene continued, “And why is Jesse even coming here still, since Seiji is definitely not going back to Exton. What does he gain from this?”

Nick shrugged, but a taut feeling began in his stomach. Jesse could have figured the truth out, couldn’t he? Why else would he still be here?

Nick and Eugene fell back into fencing, but Nick made sure to not show his speed at its full capacity. He could feel Jesse’s eyes across the salle watching him as he fenced. 

Nick counted the minutes until Jesse would leave. Team practice ended and Nick and Seiji stayed back, resting and stretching until Jesse left. But Jesse didn’t leave after he was finished talking with Coach Williams and Coach Lewis.

He walked towards Nick and Seiji, his blue eyes darting around, not looking directly at Nick. Not at first anyways.

Jesse cleared his throat. “I need to talk to you,” he said. 

Every muscle in Nick’s body seemed to tense. But there was nothing he could do now. No matter how fast he was, he couldn’t run from Jesse. He should have known that sooner. Jesse would catch up. Jesse was fast too. So Nick said, “Okay.”

Jesse crossed his arms. “Seiji, can you leave us for a moment?”

Before Seiji could ask Nick, Nick looked at him. “Whatever you want to say, Jesse, Seiji can hear it too.”

Jesse’s brows furrowed in confusion. 

“Nicholas,” Seiji began. 

Jesse was already arguing with Nick but his words were drowned out by Seiji's. “Nicholas, I think you should talk to Jesse alone. I want to be there for you, but this... this is something you two should discuss alone.”

Nick considered it. He had a feeling he knew what Jesse was going to say. But Nick nodded and turned back to Jesse. 

Seiji left for the lockers and Nick was left alone with Jesse. Nick’s instincts said to run but it was too late. 

Jesse was studying Nick until he finally spoke. 

“I think it’s interesting,” Jesse said, “that your fencing is similar to mine. Seiji is fast, I know. But I was always faster than him. And you’re as fast as me.”

Nick didn’t know how to respond. Nothing Jesse was saying was a compliment. They were his mere observations. Jesse had caught on to his fencing.

Jesse continued. “Of course, your technique is weak. But that’s not the same. Speed is more natural and so is your skill for finding your opponent’s opening. It has to be natural, yes? I heard you’ve only been fencing for a year or two?” 

Nick nodded.

Jesse stepped closer. “So you were never properly trained, right? Before this school?”

“No,” Nick said finally. He needed to find a way to make this stop. Every part of his instincts told Nick what Jesse wanted from these questions. He wanted the truth. It was stupid, Nick knew it, to try and run now. But Jesse couldn’t know. “Jesse, why did you stay to interrogate me? If you wanted to fence me, then fence me.” 

It was a last attempt at distraction. Nick cocked his eyebrows, knowing Jesse wasn’t one to avoid a challenge or downright deny one. Nick didnt think there was a chance Jesse could say no. But he did.

“I’m not interested in fencing you right now,” Jesse said. “I've seen enough.”

Nick felt panic ride in his chest. “Then I’m going to shower and you can go back to Exton.” Nick turned to leave Jesse.

“No wait,” Jesse said, grabbing Nick's wrist. He released it after a moment. “I need to talk with you. I wasn’t finished.” Jesse took a breath and for a moment he looked nervous too. “Your last name is Cox, right?” 

Nick hesitated but nodded. “Why do you ask?”

“Your mom’s name is Alexandra Cox, right?” Jesse asked without his usual arrogance. He looked more confused, as if trying to piece everything together. But the fact that he was here proved he already had. There was no point in running now. 

Nick nodded. “How do you know her name?” 

“I saw... I saw a list of names. I snuck into my father’s study and saw a name and the phone number. I—”

Three? Nick almost asked, but he didn’t ask it in time before another question arose. “Were you the one who called my mom weren’t you?” Nick asked. “Not Robert.”

Jesse slowly nodded. “He was waiting to call her until he got legal advice. But I couldn’t wait. She answered, but I panicked.”

“She told me,” Nick said.

“I... what else did she tell you?” Jesse asked. His cheeks were red. Nick had never seen Jesse so uncollected. This was why his fencing was so off earlier, Nick realized. Jesse continued, “Because I don’t... uh, I don’t know how to tell you—”

Jesse didn’t think that Nick knew. Jesse thought he’d have to tell Nick who he was. 

“Jesse, I know,” Nick said. He wanted to recoil away from his words immediately, too shocked that he’d really said it. 

“You know... that we’re brothers,” Jesse said. 

Nick nodded. “Half-brothers.”

“Right.” Suddenly Jesse's face turned sour again. “Wait, so you’ve known for... how long?”

Nick shrugged. “Years. Since I was young.”

“Years?” He examined. “So I was trying to piece together everything with your mom and your fencing skills when you could have just told me?”

Nick didn’t think Jesse could be serious. “Why would I have told you? I barely know you. You ignored my entire existence until about a week ago.”

Jess crossed his arms in defense. “I hadn’t seen you fence. How was I supposed to know I should’ve been paying attention to the other reserve?” 

“You’re... mad at me?” Nick asked, even more dumbfounded. 

“Of course I am,” Jesse shouted. His cheeks flushed red again. 

“You have no reason to be mad at me when you told me all I would ever be is your replacement. I should have known you would compare us even before you knew who I was! You can fuck off and leave right now if you want.” Nick hadn’t realized how close he’d stepped up to Jesse. 

Jesse shoved him backwards and Nick stumbled. 

Nick didn’t think about his actions after that. Blinding anger shot through Nick and he shoved Jesse back. He punched Jesse’s chest more forcefully than he intended. 

Jesse used the same momentum and punched Nick in the cheek, right near the corner of his lip. Nick felt a quick jolt of pain but he was too exhausted to fight back. Jesse’s eyes were wide as he looked at Nick’s face. 

Jesse had dropped his fists. “Fine,” he said at last. “I’m leaving.”

Nick crossed his arms. “Good.”

Jesse was already walking towards the doors and Nick turned around, gathering his mask and épée. 

He was waiting to hear the door slam shut, but he didn’t. Nick risked turning his head to see Jesse standing by the door, his hand on the handle. “I didn’t tell my father anything by the way. All he knows is that there’s a rumor going around about his affair. But he’ll find out soon enough now that the news got ahold of it. So I suggest you find a way to tell him soon.”

“Why not just tell him yourself?” Nick asked. Anger was still right at his surface. 

Jesse seemed to have collected himself back into his arrogant attitude, but his expression was different. At first he stared at Nick but before he spoke he lowered his gaze to the ground. “It’s not my secret to tell.” A look of sympathy passed over Jesse.

Nick hesitated but Jesse was already leaving. 

He felt numb. Jesse’s words of warning rang out in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading again!! <3 Sorry this took forever to post- school sucks ass but I wrote this instead of writing not one not two but THREE assignments so I think I know my priorities XD


	6. Chapter 6

Nick went back to their room to find Seiji. Seiji was sitting at the desk looking at his computer, his headphones on his ears, but still he turned immediately when Nick entered. 

He took the earphones off. “How did it—” Seiji stopped talking when he saw Nick’s face. Nick reached up to touch his face, he felt a sting on his lip and the skin around his mouth was sensitive from where Jesse hit him

“Hold still,” Seiji said, his hand brushing against his chin. Nick tilted it so Seiji could get a better angle.

Seiji led Nick to the bathroom and pulled out a first aid kit. 

“Did you get in a fight?” Seiji asked 

“In my defense Jesse pushed me first,” Nick said. He tried to let some semblance of annoyance into his voice, but it was hard when Seiji’s thumb was on the corner of his lip, brushing lightly over where it split. Seiji cleaned it gently and then his hand fell away. 

“Thanks. It really doesn’t hurt that bad,” Nick assured him. “I don’t think Jesse has ever been in a fight before.”

“No,” Seiji said. “Not a physical one at least. He usually opted for fencing or a verbal argument.”

“We sort of already went through those options,” Nick said.

Seiji rolled his eyes but returned to the serious matter. “So Jesse knows?” 

Nick nodded slowly. The truth was out. He didn’t even know what more to say. 

Seiji sensed Nick was still processing everything, so they just rested on Seiji’s bed. Then Nick told Seiji everything that happened when he left. Seiji just let Nick talk until there was nothing left to say. 

__________

The next day, Nick’s mind was scattered, so school was a blur of information. Fencing was a relief, but it ended with Nick being exhausted yet in no mood to sleep when he kept replaying the fight with Jesse over and over again in his head. Nick stared at the dark wall, trying to convince himself to sleep. He thought of waking up Seiji briefly, but he had looked like he was exhausted from fencing. Nick was too, but for some reason he still couldn’t sleep. 

He shifted in his bed, discarding the pillow. He checked the time and it was only ten o’ clock but it felt closer to midnight.

A knock sounded at their door, just loud enough for Nick to hear it, but not so loud that Seiji would wake up. Nick didn’t exactly know who to expect when he walked to the door, maybe Eugene, since sometimes he’d sneak into the kitchens with him. 

He wasn’t expecting Jesse Coste to be there at his door. Or at Kings Row at all. 

It seemed whenever he wasn’t expecting Jesse, Jesse would show up anyways. It was ironic, Nick thought for a moment, that Jesse so clearly didn’t want Nick in his life and yet it was Jesse who was coming to Nick. Every instance between them, Jesse had initiated. 

“Jesse?” Nick asked through a yawn that he didn’t bother covering. Though he hadn’t been anywhere close to sleep, he wanted to let Jesse know that he was not at all interested in speaking with him. 

Jesse was there in his Exton uniform, though he looked significantly less put together than usual. His hair wasn’t styled, so portions of it fell on his forehead and his posture was slumped. He looked exhausted and nervous. A very strange combination on Jesse. 

“Can we talk?” Jesse said. 

Nick was taken aback. Jesse hadn’t posed it as a demand as he had last time. 

Still, Nick had no interest. “Jesse, why are you even here? It’s past curfew and you’re not even a student here.”

Jesse waved him off. It was an attempt at arrogance, but Nick could still tell something was on Jesse’s nerves. “It doesn’t matter. I... I’m here to apologize.”

Nick blinked. He would be surprised if Jesse even possessed the knowledge of how to apologize. 

Nick glanced back at Seiji. “I can’t let you into the dorm. Seiji’s sleeping.”

“Meet me outside then.”

Jesse gave Nick only a few seconds to nod and then he walked off. Nick closed the door and went back into their room. He hesitated for a moment. He could pretend to just fall asleep and leave Jesse waiting until he finally gave up and went back to Exton. Or he could go and talk to Jesse.

He liked the first option better. 

Nick glanced at his floor, which had become littered with various clothing items again.  
Before he made a decision, he heard a noise come from Seiji’s side of the room. Without the curtain blocking Nick’s view, he could see Seiji sit up in his bed. “You should talk to Jesse,” he said. 

Nick crossed his arms. Seiji probably had a point, but Nick was feeling more stubborn than usual and he didn’t exactly want to see one. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” Nick said. 

Seiji shrugged. “It was just the light from the hall. I trained myself to wake up to it when you used to go sneaking around at night with Eugene.”

Nick shrugged. “Well you never wanted to go with us even though I tried persuading you,” he said, getting himself distracted.

Seiji sat up further. “Talk with Jesse.” 

Nick crossed into Seiji’s side and sat on the edge of Seiji's bed. His hand immediately went towards Seiji’s, as if his hand alone could stabilize his thoughts. “Why?”

Seiji hesitated but began. “Jesse is not one to apologize, for anything really. If he is here, which is weird that he is, then you should listen to him before he changes his mind.”

Nick hesitated. Had Jesse never even apologized to Seiji for what happened between them? Nick was about to ask, but he realized it might still be a touchy subject and Jesse was waiting outside. Nick nodded in agreement with Seiji. He leaned in and kissed Seiji’s cheek, right below his eye on his beauty mark, and Seiji squeezed his hand once for good luck. 

Nick slipped on a hoodie he’d had on the ground and left the room to meet Jesse outside. 

Jesse was leaning against the stair railing that led up to the dorms. He was on his phone texting until he heard Nick walk up. 

Nick felt awkward standing so close to Jesse. The last time they’d seen each other a few days ago they’d been fighting. Jesse’s cheek looked slightly bruised. 

“You have to tell me why you were here in the first place,” Nick said. He wanted proof that he could get complete honesty from Jesse. 

Jesse’s face reddened. “I was with Eugene. But that’s not what I came to talk about. I need you to listen to my apology.” 

“I need to listen?” Nick repeated, his brows arching. 

Jesse sighed. “I want you to listen.”

Nick nodded in confirmation to continue. 

“I shouldn’t have gotten angry,” Jesse said, his voice softer now, more stripped of arrogance than Nick had ever heard it. “I, uh, put myself in your shoes. When I got mad that you didn’t tell me that we were brothers, I wasn’t thinking about why you wouldn’t want to tell me. I wouldn’t have told anyone either if I was in your position.”

Nick nodded. Jesse was clearly nervous about trying to explain everything. “Thanks for understanding,” Nick said. 

“And I’m sorry I started a fight. I wasn’t mad at you. I never was, but I lashed out at you. I was mad at my father, uh, our father, that I was being kept in the dark about everything. The affair. You.” He looked up at Nick.

Nick had thought of how Jesse would’ve reacted to the news of the affair. Jesse truly hadn’t known anything. In many ways he was just as in the dark as Nick. 

Nick had known for so long that he had a brother, though he never thought he’d meet Jesse like this. Jesse on the other hand was still wrapping his mind around everything. 

Nick had wanted someone to talk to about his family crisis when he’d found out. His mom never cared enough about Robert to make any effort. He wondered if Jesse had felt alone during all of this. But he also wondered if Jesse wanted to talk to him about this. 

Jesse was staring at Nick with hesitation, as if not knowing what else to say or waiting for Nick to say something. 

“Thank you for apologizing,” Nick said. He waited for Jesse to jump at the chance to leave, but he just stood there. “Uh, you can leave if you want. I forgive you for the other day.” 

Jesse frowned. “Wait, no, I… I want to talk to you more. Eugene said I should.”

“He did?” Nick asked. 

Jesse nodded, but suddenly he looked panicked. “I didn’t tell Eugene anything, but he figured it out on his own. So don’t get mad at him. After he realized I was talking about you, he just wouldn’t shut up about how good of a friend you are.”

Nick nodded, still unsure why and when Eugene was talking with Jesse, though at least Eugene was reassuring Jesse of Nick’s better characteristics than the ones Jesse had seen. 

“So... we can talk more?” Jesse asked, crossing his arms. 

“Okay.” Nick thought back to how Jesse and him had fought. He realized he’d been expecting a fight between them at some point. They were too similar and too different all at once to get along without practice. But Nick hadn’t expected a fight like the one they had. “But before... I just need to know, you said you weren’t mad at me, but it’s okay if you were.” Nick paused and then continued before Jesse could speak again, “Did you even want a brother?”

Jesse looked surprised. “What? Why wouldn’t I want a brother? I would have loved to have a brother my age who loves fencing. We could have trained endlessly with Dad.” Jesse was more enthusiastic than Nick had expected but he gave no sign he was being anything other than sincere. 

Nick imagined what Jesse was saying, growing up with a brother as passionate about fencing as him, training all the time, even with Robert. It sounded exactly like what Nick had once wanted. 

He’d spent too many years in between convincing himself he didn’t want that, so now when he was faced with the chance, he still felt uneasy.

“What if I didn’t like fencing? Would you still want a brother if we had nothing in common?” Nick asked. 

Jesse hesitated but nodded. “I would. It’s just nice that we have something in common. But even if you hated fencing, I would want a brother. It’s come to my attention I’m not very good at sharing or accepting change... and I think it’s because I was alone. I didn’t have to learn that stuff so I didn’t. I got everything I wanted but I was lonely.”

Nick felt numb as he listened to Jesse. He was talking so honestly that he didn’t even really know what to say. Nick had been so prepared to argue with him like they first did.

Nick thought back to their last conversation, before the fighting actually began. Jesse had found out everything on his own, he’d said. Jesse had gone through a lot these past weeks too. 

“So, what made you change your mind?” Nick asked. “You seemed so angry at the thought of having a brother before.”

“I never changed my mind. I was mad at my father for keeping the affair a secret. When I found out everything by myself I realized just how much I didn’t know about him and that he was probably never planning on telling me. Or my mom. I wanted to scream at him but I couldn’t let him know I knew, so... when I came here, I yelled at you.” After a moment of silence, he looked up at Nick. 

Nick knew the kind of anger Jesse was talking about. He felt it once, when he learned the truth. “I wanted to do the same... when I first found out. I was mad at you when I should have been mad at Robert.”

“You have every right to be mad at him and me too. I know I haven’t been kind to you since I met you,” Jesse said. “But I did mean what I said before that I wouldn’t tell my father- our father- about you.”

Nick nodded. “Thanks, I’ll tell him… when I’m ready.”

Jesse nodded, thankfully not pressuring him into answering anything about their father. “So what do we do now? I mean, I think we should get to know each other more as brothers.” 

Nick nodded in agreement. If Jesse was willing to try then he was too. Nick thought of Seiji though and he didn’t know how everything would work out between the three of them. Seiji and Jesse were still on rocky terms at best. Nick crossed his arms. “But before I agree to anything, I want to make sure you are willing to apologize to Seiji. He’s… he’s my roommate and my friend. Seiji probably won’t be immediately forgiving, but he doesn’t want us to fight any longer either.”

Jesse nodded instantly. “I will. I don’t expect immediate forgiveness for him. I ruined years of friendship, but I didn’t ever try to apologize. Now I want to though. It’s just… I don’t know how.”

“Just be honest with him,” Nick said, though he could tell from Jesse’s nervous expression he wasn’t convinced. “Well, what do you want, a script?”

Jesse rolled his eyes. “Not a script… just some guidelines.”

Nick laughed at Jesse’s demand but gave in. “Fine, I’ll make a deal with you. I help you prep your apology for Seiji, and you give me advice on what to say when… when I tell Robert the truth.”

Jesse’s eyes were wide in shock but he nodded in agreement. “Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured I'd follow the Striking Distance trend and have Jesse show up randomly but sadly I couldn't include details about the limo. But if you WERE wondering, yes, Jesse did in fact travel by limo to Kings Row. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!! <3


	7. Chapter 7

“This is an awful idea, Nicholas,” Seiji said, but his words were in direct conflict with his body that was leaning in to Nick as he kissed him. They had found themselves back in the storage closet before practice.

Nick smiled into the kiss. “I think this is a great idea.”

“You’ve been getting better at fencing. Especially these past two days,” Seiji said in between kisses. 

Nick smiled. His fencing seemed to be directly linked to his mood. Ever since his talk with Jesse, the tension Nick had felt for so long seemed to fade. Nick knew the situation wasn’t perfect yet. After all, Robert was still in the dark, but Jesse making an effort changed Nick’s outlook more than he’d expected. 

Nick thumbed at Seiji’s collarbone, where he’d gotten a hit a day ago. “Are you just complimenting me because you want me to kiss it better for you or was that a leeway into an insult?”

Seiji rolled his eyes. “If I am critiquing your technique, you would know. I was actually complimenting you.”

“For once,” Nick murmured, but he didn’t give Seiji a chance to respond before he kissed him again. Then Nick began trailing kisses down his neck until he reached the bruised spot. 

Seiji let out a soft gasp as Nick lightly traced his tongue over the skin. Nick was about to repeat the motion to hear that sound again but before he could, the door handle jiggled. The door remained locked, but the sound sent a jolt of panic through Nick.

“Hello?” someone asked. It sounded like Eugene.

Nick parted from Seiji and Seiji straightened himself. They looked at each other with wide eyes.

“What do we do?” Nick asked quietly, straightening his clothes. 

“You get out first. I’ll wait until you two are gone and then leave,” Seiji said. Nick nodded and glanced at his lips, still red from kissing. 

“Who’s in there?” Eugene shouted. “Aiden, I swear to God, if it’s you-”

“Uh, me, Nick,” he said. “I was just looking for some tennis balls.” Seiji shoved the bag of tennis balls into his hand and Nick slipped out of the closet to meet Eugene. 

“Hey, Gene,” Nick said, holding up the bag of tennis balls. “Sorry about that, I didn’t know the door locked.”

Eugene stared at him for a moment but was caught off guard by his phone that began ringing nonstop. 

“Damn, who are you texting?” Nick asked, though he had a feeling he knew the answer. 

“Uh... Jesse,” Eugene said slowly. “I actually wanted to talk to you about him, but I didn’t know when was the right time.”

Nick nodded for Eugene to continue. 

“Jesse told me what he told you, and I promise he didn’t tell me your secret. I kind of just... pieced the information together that night at the clubhouse. Jesse had told me he found a woman’s number and then he called her. And then your phone rang. And Jesse kept asking about you, so I knew something was up-”

“Hey, it’s okay, bro,” Nick reassured him. “I believe you. I’m glad you know now honestly.”

“I can’t imagine how hard this has been on you, Nick. I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Eugene said.

“It’s okay now. Jesse and I talked and everything.” Nick wanted to tell Eugene it hadn’t been that bad because he didn’t go through it alone. He had Seiji. Instead, Nick decided to avert the conversation to lighter things. “How long has Jesse been pestering you?”

Eugene laughed. “Since the banquet.”

Nick’s eyes went wide. The fall banquet was weeks ago. There was another scheduled in a few weeks, right before thanksgiving. “Damn, Jesse is persistent.”

“That’s one word for it,” Eugene said. “But he does really want to try. He’s just nervous about messing it up.”

Nick nodded. Jesse had proven enough the other night, but the words meant a lot coming from Eugene. 

“Is there any reason why Jesse calls you Gene?” Nick nudged Eugene’s side, smirking. He didn’t exactly know if he was just messing around or if he thought something was going on between Eugene and Jesse, but Eugene’s expression said enough. 

“Are you two…?”

“We’re just friends.”

Just then, Eugene’s phone went off three times in a row. 

“Sure,” Nick said, not entirely convinced. 

Seiji walked into the salle perfectly composed a few minutes afterwards and Aiden and Harvard came in soon after. Coach Williams had called for a meeting before practice.

Seiji sat close to Nick like he had during the last meeting.

“Alright, boys, this will be a pretty fast meeting,” Coach Williams said, standing near her wall of papers warning them what not to say. “I just wanted to let you all know that our next banquet is coming up. We didn’t want it to interfere with finals, so it's on the weekend before Thanksgiving. Just like last time, we’ll take a bus, so do not be late.” She looked at Aiden again.

“I wasn’t late last time,” Aiden protested.

Harvard laughed. “A reminder doesn’t hurt,” he said, nudging Aiden jokingly.

“Well at least this time we don't have to worry about finding a date,” Nick whispered to Seiji, who blushed instantly.

Then Nick thought back to the fall banquet. He hadn’t been able to face Robert then. He’d completely panicked. Nick was still nervous about seeing Robert again, but that initial panic was gone. Ever since talking with Jesse, he’d felt more calm than he had in weeks. Maybe this time he could face Robert. Jesse seemed to think he could. 

The meeting ended and the rest of practice went by quickly. Nick was thankful for how easy it was to fence now that the weight of Jesse knowing the truth was off his chest. It felt more comforting than Nick ever imagined to have Jesse know the truth. 

And now there was a chance that they could try to get to know each other. After practice, Nick checked his phone to see Jesse had texted him. Before he had left Kings Row, they exchanged numbers, but Nick had hesitated to text first. Jesse, on the other hand, didn't seem like a shy texter if his texts to Eugene were any indication.

When are you free? I want to practice my apology for Seiji with you.

Nick almost laughed at the text. Jesse wasn’t one to hide the fact that he was not new to the concept of apologizing. Or at least the practice of it. Whatever Eugene had said to Jesse had made him realize something perhaps. 

_____ 

Jesse and Eugene’s talks made Nick realize he wanted to tell the rest of the team. Now that Jesse had apologized, most of the weight of everything had slipped off his shoulders. All that was left was the burden of keeping this a secret all the time. 

The opportunity came the next day, when the team decided to meet at the clubhouse and Aiden was talking to Harvard about the plans for next week’s practice. 

“Please, Harvard, I want to know when he’s coming,” Aiden was saying.

“Why do you care when Jesse comes?” Harvard asked.

“Because then I know which practice to skip,” Aiden said as if it made perfect sense. 

Eugene laughed at that. 

Harvard rolled his eyes. “Then I’m not telling you. You’ll have to show up to all practices from now on.”

Aiden groaned. “But he’s too good. Everything I say to him just goes in one ear and out the next. Like Nick, except I have a better chance of beating Nick.”

“I beat you today,” Nick said. 

Aiden ignored that point. “Why is the Exton kid even coming here again? Seiji’s made it beyond clear he’s not leaving Kings Row.”

Nick shrugged. He doubted Jesse was going to keep trying to convince Seiji to go to Exton with him since he’d told Nick he wanted to apologize to Seiji. Nick debated telling them the real reason why Jesse had kept coming.

Nick figured this was as good an opportunity as any to tell them the truth. Nick glanced at Seiji and then at Eugene. Eugene opened his mouth to speak but Nick spoke first. “I know why,” Nick said.

Nick didn’t know what Eugene and Jesse’s relationship actually was, but he wanted to tell the team about Jesse anyways. There was no use in having Eugene confess something he wasn’t ready to just to distract them from the truth. Nick nodded to Eugene in reassurance. 

Nick glanced at Seiji again, who nodded in support. 

“I, uh, have something to tell you guys,” Nick said. 

Eugene eyed Nick hesitantly but nodded. Aiden and Harvard nodded too. “I’m sorry I never told you sooner, but I want you all to know the truth before you hear it from someone else.” Nick began again before he lost his nerve. “I’m Robert Coste’s son. Well, his illegitimate son.”

There was a moment of shocked silence but Harvard broke it, “Nick… I don’t know what to say. When did you find out? Do you want to talk about it?”

“I’ve known for a long time now,” Nick said. “And I did want to talk about it, to tell you guys. Ever since the article came out, I feel like I’ve been lying to you. Before that, I never had a reason to tell anyone, but after...”

“So you knew before the article?” Aiden asked. 

Nick nodded. 

“Wait,” Aiden said, “that means... you’re Jesse’s brother.”

Nick nodded. “Jesse figured out the truth. We talked it over together a few days ago. Robert still doesn’t know though. I just wanted to tell you guys before some else could. I... I never expected the news to be leaked like this or at all. Sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”

“No, don’t apologize. That’s something really personal. I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” Harvard said. “We’re always here for you and I’m not just saying that as your captain. We’re your team. You can tell us anything and we’ll keep your secret.”

Everyone nodded in agreement and Nick's chest felt tight. Six months ago he couldn’t have imagined having a team like this. He couldn’t have imagined a team at all really. Now he had the most amazing team he could have asked for. 

And of course there was Seiji too, who was part of his team, but someone else entirely different too. Seiji had been there for him the entire time. 

The conversation died out so the rest of the night in the clubhouse they just watched movies and eventually Seiji fell asleep next to Nick. He was gently resting on Nick's shoulder so Nick didn’t dare move. Eugene was asleep on the chair, his phone in his lap and it was finally silent. Harvard was passed out on the other side of the couch, and Aiden was leaning against him.

Nick realized Aiden was awake when he stood up and yawned. He glanced at Harvard, watching him rest for a moment, before looking at Nick and realizing he was awake.  
Aiden’s eyes then fell to Seiji’s position against Nick. Nick and Seiji had been careful not to show any direct signs of affection but Nick wasn’t about to shove Seiji’s unconscious body away from him. 

“You know, Nick, I admire you for telling us about Robert. And you shouldn’t feel bad about not telling us sooner. Talking about family like that takes a lot of strength. I know that must have been hard to see, in the news and everything. And having to meet Jesse like that at practice.”

Nick hadn’t necessarily expected any extra sentiment from Aiden but Nick smiled at his compliment. Aiden didn’t admire anyone else Nick knew of besides Harvard. “Thanks, Aiden.”

Nick didn’t know much about Aiden’s home life, but he had assumed it wasn’t the best, based on Aiden’s various cruel remarks about his father and his string of stepmothers he couldn’t remember the names of. 

“You know you don’t have to hide any part of yourself from us, right?” Aiden asked, glancing momentarily at Seiji.

Nick nodded. He had a feeling Aiden was no longer talking about his family matters any more, but rather about Seiji. But Aiden didn’t question anything.

Aiden had his flaws but Nick had grown to trust him too, as he had all of the team as well as Bobby, Tanner, and Kally. He knew he’d have to tell the truth to them soon too, but he didn’t know how to tell everyone all at once. 

Aiden yawned and gently woke up Harvard to lead him back to the dorm. He woke up Eugene too. Nick gently shifted his body and Seiji made a small noise of protest. Nick smiled and fought the urge to kiss him. “Wake up,” he said. “We have to get back to our room.”

Seiji nodded and rubbed his eyes awake. 

They made it back to their room and Seiji seemed more awake by the time they returned.

“I can’t believe we were out past curfew,” Seiji said. 

Nick laughed. “I told you curfew is more of a suggestion.”

Seiji only rolled his eyes and then he yawned. “Did they notice I fell asleep on you?” Seiji asked. 

“Aiden did,” Nick said. He hesitated to say more, but his words slipped out before he thought any more. “Do you still want to keep this a secret? I think... I think Jesse would be fine with it.” Nick thought back to the night he’d asked Seiji about their relationship. They both thought it would be best kept secret, given Seiji and Jesse’s history, but that was before there was any chance of Jesse making amends.

Seiji nodded. “I don’t think Jesse would care either. He never liked me like that. He would tell me about his crushes, but the boy he liked seemed to change every other week.”

Nick laughed at that. He couldn’t imagine someone as aloof as Jesse crushing on dozens of boys. 

“So,” Nick said, stepping closer to Seiji, “we can be in the open now?” He smiled and held Seiji’s hand in his. 

Seiji nodded, leaning forwards and Nick caught his face and kissed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally didn't know whether I wrote the line about Nick saying curfew is just a suggestion or if I read it somewhere else, but after twenty minutes of searching, I realized I DID write it (but its not in secrets, its in the dream fic lol). Anyways, for the sake of this one line, not the plots, I'll say the fic worlds merge.
> 
> Thank you for reading!! <3


	8. Chapter 8

Nick and Seiji had decided to experiment with new locations to kiss now that they agreed to end their secret relationship. They agreed to find somewhere else besides the storage closet and settled on the library, since that’s where Jesse had agreed to meet Nick in half an hour anyways. 

The team had taken the news well, though Aiden just laughed and asked if they really thought they were being subtle. Harvard had thankfully come to their defense by saying he hadn’t known Seiji and Nick were together. Eugene hadn’t looked all that surprised either and since then had been teasing Nick about almost walking in on them in a storage closet. But all Nick had to do was tease Eugene about Jesse and he’d be quiet. 

Seiji had Nick up against the wall of the study room as they kissed. Nick knew it was getting late and Jesse would be here any second, but he couldn’t find the control to let go of Seiji. 

In between kisses, Seiji’s phone went off, making both of them jump.

“You set an alarm?” Nick asked. 

Seiji nodded. “Of course. I figured we’d... lose track of time.”

Nick grinned as he saw Seiji blush. 

“One more minute?” Nick asked. 

“No,” Seiji said, straightening his collar and tie that Nick had loosened. “I have actual studying to do anyways.”

Nick frowned but kissed Seiji on the cheek before he left. Nick had told Seiji about Jesse wanting to apologize, and Seiji seemed willing to listen, but Nick wondered if part of Seiji still thought Jesse wouldn’t apologize. 

Before Nick could think any longer, the door to the study room opened again. Jesse hadn’t bothered knocking. “Hello,” he said. Jesse’s brows were furrowed, as if confused about something. “I think I just saw Seiji—”

He was eyeing Nick’s clothes and Nick realized too late how he looked. His tie was loose and his shirt looked more wrinkled than usual from where Seiji had held it. Nick made a half hearted attempt to fix it, but Jesse had already seen. 

“Hey,” Nick tried to sound calm. 

“You’re... were you and Seiji just—”

Nick didn’t know what Jesse was going to ask but he just shook his head. “No.”

Jesse wasn’t convinced. “Are you dating?”

Nick nodded. “I was going to tell you today. We only told the team a few days ago.”

Jesse hesitated but finally nodded. “You should fix your clothes.”

Nick straightened them out as best he could. “Are you mad?” Nick asked, not totally sure how to read Jesse's expression. 

Jesse shook his head. “I’m sure Seiji told you this but I never liked him like that. We were both too obsessed with fencing to see each other in that way.”

Nick nodded. Given how much their lives revolve around fencing, it made sense.

“So, is this why you wanted me to apologize to Seiji?” Jesse asked, his arms crossed as he sat down at the desk. 

“What? No,” Nick said, “I mean, he means a lot to me so yes, but even if we weren’t together, I still want you two to get along.”

Jesse nodded. “I want that too.”

Nick finished straightening his tie as best he could. “So, what do you want to say in your apology? You said you had one written,” Nick said.

Jesse stared at his phone and opened it up to a note. Nick glanced at it and he saw it was only a few lines long. Jesse noticed Nick's stare and cleared his throat. “Before I say it... I just need you to know I want to apologize but I’m still new at this.”

“How did you fit an entire apology into three lines?” Nick asked. 

Jesse crossed his arms in defense. “It’s just the beginning. I have to add to it. That’s why I’m here. What should I add?”

“Did you expect me to give you a script?” Nick asked.

Jesse frowned and shrugged. “Maybe a detailed outline.”

Nick rolled his eyes and then studied Jesse. “Have you ever had to apologize before?” 

“Of course,” Jesse said. “I apologized to you.”

Nick blinked, waiting for more. “I apologized to Eugene too but that wasn’t exactly a normal apology either.” Before Nick could ask what he meant, Jesse continued, “Eugene was the one who helped me apologize to you. But I wanted your help with apologizing to Seiji because you seem to know him better. Now I know you do,” Jesse remarked.

Nick’s face heated. “What do you want to say to Seiji?”

“I don’t know how to word it,” Jesse said. 

“Just be honest with him. Like you were honest with me.” Nick could tell Jesse’s nerves were preventing him from speaking more than anything. 

“I want to tell him that I want to take accountability for everything that happened. I didn’t realize how much I needed him, or a friend at all. I felt awful afterwards. And then I felt even more awful after coming to Kings Row. The way I talked to you and Seiji… you aren’t just a replacement, Nick. The only reason I said that was because that’s how I treated Seiji.” Jesse's voice broke at the end, but there were no tears in his eyes. 

“That’s good,” Nick said, nodding.

“Really?” Jesse asked and his eyes widened. 

“Yeah,” Nick said as he laughed a little. For once he felt like he was somehow better than Jesse at something. Even though that something was apologizing. 

Jesse’s apology and words seemed genuine, but at the same time they were so contrasting his behavior before. “So why did you demand Seiji come back with you to Exton?”

Jesse kept his arms crossed but looked down. “I wanted him back so he could see I had changed. That I missed him. But looking back, it didn’t come across that way. I realize it now, how I spoke to him like he— like I could control him. I never realized that he’s happy here. He has you and Gene and the team.”

Nick nodded. He hadn’t known how much of his own actions he was aware of, but if Jesse realized all this... maybe he had really changed. “I think you’re better at apologizing than you think, though I think practice is always helpful,” Nick said.

Jesse rolled his eyes. “You sound like a coach.”

Nick laughed. “Well you admitted it yourself you don’t have much practice with apologizing.”

“And now I’m apologizing three times in one week,” he groaned, leaning back in the chair. “Apologizing is exhausting.”

“You’ll feel better when it’s over though, yeah?” Nick asked. “You should say what you said to me to Seiji.”

Jesse nodded and opened his phone. Nick saw him begin to type and Nick snatched his phone from him to shut it off. “No, no written apologies. You didn’t need a script. You didn’t need one with me and you won’t need one with Seiji.”

Jesse hesitated but nodded and took his phone back. He almost stood but stopped himself. “Before I—”

“No stalling,” Nick warned. 

Jesse waved him off. “No, I meant to to tell you before. Father and his lawyers figured out who wrote that stupid article and persuaded them to take it down. If you were worrying about the news being leaked, like I was, you don’t have to worry anymore.”

Nick froze. He hadn’t thought much about the truth being revealed that way for the past few days. He’d been thinking over and over again how to tell Robert the truth. He wanted to be the one in control of it this time. And he wanted it to be out in the open. 

Jesse had made him realize he wanted that. 

Nick finally nodded. “Thank you, Jesse.”

“It was the least Father could do, but he got it done.” He paused but continued quickly after, like he realized he had more to say. “I also wanted to tell you in person that if you decide to tell Father the truth, I can be there, if you want. And I’ll support you.”

The thought of Jesse by his side when he told Robert was comforting. More so than Nick expected it to be. 

Nick’s mouth formed a small smile. “I think I want him to know. But I also don’t know how to tell him. Or how to begin really.”

Jesse hesitated. “When do you want to tell him?”

Nick shrugged. 

“The winter banquet is coming up. If that’s too soon, I understand, but both our schools will be there if you want.”

Nick thought about it. He couldn’t even face Robert last time. What made him think he could do it now?

But Jesse’s words came back as a reminder. _I’ll support you._

Nick nodded. “Okay. The winter banquet, that’s when I'll tell him.”

Jesse smiled. “I can help you practice what to say if you want. You aren’t apologizing for anything so I should be able to help you.” Jesse’s smile turned into his confident smirk, but without the cruel stare Nick had once seen accompany it.

Nick would take Jesse’s help. He knew he would. But something about what Jesse said struck Nick. _You wouldn’t be apologizing._

_Wouldn’t I be?_ Nick asked himself. Part of him expected to apologize to Robert for ... for the truth? Nick knew he wasn’t at fault, but in every situation he played out in his head, Robert would get angry and Nick would end up apologizing for telling the truth. The truth about what Robert did. 

Jesse was studying Nick, the smirk gone. “You wouldn’t be apologizing, you know that right?” Jesse asked.

Nick nodded slowly.

How had Jesse been able to tell what Nick was nervous about. 

“You’re not at fault,” Jesse said. “I won’t let you apologize. That’s why I’ll be there okay? If anyone is going to apologize it will be him.” Jesse’s words were harsh towards his father. _Their_ father. Nick wondered if they’d fought about everything already but he realized they hadn’t. 

Jesse hadn’t told Robert he knew anything at all. 

Nick nodded. “Thank you, Jesse. Now quit stalling and go apologize. Seiji’s on a strict schedule and if you interrupt it your chances of success are slim.”

Jesse rolled his eyes, as if remembering Seiji’s strictness. Nick was under no guise that Seiji hadn’t been so strict in middle school either. “I'm going now.” 

_______________

Nick returned to their dorm an hour later, figuring Jesse was probably done talking with Seiji. He was right. When he opened the door, Seiji was sitting on his bed with his laptop open.

He looked up when Nick opened the door. 

“How did it go?” Nick asked as he climbed onto Seiji's bed. 

Seiji closed the laptop. “Good,” he said. “I’ve never seen him that nervous before though.”

Nick laughed. Jesse hid that part of himself well. Nick himself hadn’t seen it until Jesse apologized to him. 

“But he apologized for everything. He asked if we could try to be friends again, like real friends this time. I said we could try.”

Nick smiled. “That’s great.”

“What did you two talk about?” Seiji asked. 

“We talked about Robert,” Nick said, leaning his head on Seiji’s shoulder. He still didn’t feel comfortable using the word ‘father’ or ‘dad’. At least out loud. It felt too... presumptive. “I think I’m going to tell him at the winter banquet. I want to tell him.”

Seiji took Nick’s hand. “Then you should. You deserve to be the one to tell him. No one else.”

Nick nodded. “I’m still nervous, but I want to tell him. I just don’t know how.”

Seiji was quiet but his brows furrowed together in concentration. “I wish I could give you advice, but I’m not great at talking with my parents either. I always felt like I wasn’t the child they wanted. I knew they loved me but I need to remind myself of that when we talk. Still though… children shouldn’t have to feel like they’re a burden to their parents.”

Nick kissed Seiji’s neck, the easiest place to kiss him since he was still resting on his shoulder. 

He thought about Seiji’s words. Nick had felt like a burden to Robert. Even when he didn’t know him.

“And what if he decides to ignore me because I’m a burden?” Nick asked, staring into his lap.

Seiji squeezed his hand in reassurance. “He won’t. Robert isn’t neglectful. I mean, look at Jesse. He’s spoiled beyond reason.”

Nick laughed at that, picturing Jesse in his ridiculous limousines. But his smile faded. “But I’m not Jesse. That’s the whole point. I— Robert already has the perfect fencer, the perfect son—”

“Nicholas,” Seiji cut off Nick before he went any further. “You don’t need to be Jesse.” 

“I do—” Nick said, lifting his head to stare into Seiji’s eyes. 

Seiji shook his head. “You told me before that you wanted to fence with me so that when you needed to, you could prove yourself to Robert. You can do that at the banquet.”

“What?”

“This banquet is more of an entertainment charity event than last time. We’ll be participating in fencing matches for entertainment,” Seiji explained. “You didn’t read the pamphlet did you?”

Nick stared at his desk and saw it folded between two binders. He hadn't read it or thought about it since. 

But he thought back to what Seiji was actually saying. He’d... he’d get to fence in front of Robert. The thought made him feel sick but he couldn’t tell if it was more from nerves or from exhilaration. Nick knew his technique wasn’t perfect yet. He still had a long way to go, but he knew he wanted to fence. Fencing didn’t make him nervous. Maybe if Robert saw his speed and his reflexes... maybe he’d realize Nick's potential. 

Nick finally nodded and smiled, “Then all I have to do is fence.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! <3


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading this fic!! (Also I apologize this took forever to update) but I can't believe its over now. Thank you all for your support you're all amazing!! <3
> 
> Also the amazing @internetbanality drew the first part of chap 8 for this fic on tumblr so please check it out!! Her artwork is amazing!! (If I knew how to work this website better I would link it) <3

“Nicholas, you’re going to ruin your tie,” Seiji said as he nudged him in the arm. 

Nick groaned but he wasn’t really asleep. He glanced down at himself. The jacket to his suit was already abandoned because he’d been trying to sleep and now his tie was messed up. 

He was just resting on Seiji’s shoulder since the bus ride to the banquet was longer than last time. The venue was over two hours away. He’d spent the last hour trying to distract himself by sleeping but it was pointless anyways. 

Seiji’s hands went to Nick’s tie and tightened it a little and he tried flattening it. Nick knew it was hopeless but he liked that Seiji tried to help. 

Not that Nick would take fashion advice from someone who wore those god awful pajamas to bed.

Nick was about to thank Seiji when his phone buzzed. As he reached into his pocket for it, it buzzed two more times. Without looking, Nick knew it was Jesse. He had a tendency to text multiple messages at a time. 

**Are you here yet?**

**I’m looking at the fencing matches and we fence around 6** .

Nick texted back and stared out the window. They’d planned out the fencing match after Nick texted Jesse his idea. Jesse had agreed that if Robert saw the two of them fence, he might make the connection, or at least the comparison. Nick figured explaining the truth would be easier that way.

It was strange, Nick thought. He didn’t want to be compared to Jesse. He never had. That was why he harbored such a disliking for Jesse even before knowing how rude he could be. He still didn’t want to be compared to Jesse. But if Robert saw how both Jesse and Nick mirrored Robert's own technique... it would benefit Nick hopefully. 

“Are you nervous?” Seiji asked.

Nick kept his eyes on the blurs of trees as they drove and nodded. 

“Fencing will help,” Seiji suggested. “And if you decide you don’t want to tell Robert the truth tonight you don’t have to.”

Nick shrugged and stared at Seiji. “I want to though. I... I think I have to now. I need to be the one to tell him and Jesse already knows now.” He paused but continued, “I don’t think Jesse would tell Robert. He promised me he wouldn’t. But talking with Jesse made me realize I just wanted the truth out in the open.”

Seiji nodded. 

Nick shivered and he realized then how freezing he was without the jacket. “It’s freezing in here.” He slipped it back on but left it unbuttoned for now. He’d be changing into his fencing uniform soon enough anyways. 

“Well, it’s November,” Seiji retorted. But Nick knew Seiji was cold too. His fingers had been freezing when he had fixed his tie. 

Nick took Seiji’s hand in his and it was still cold but he didn’t comment on it. 

Nick’s eyes widened. Going to a private school had made him forget that they’d probably have a break coming up. “Thanksgiving is in two weeks,” Nick said. 

Seiji nodded.

Nick’s chest tightened. “Are you... are you going back to see your family?”

Seiji shook his head. “My father will be out of town for the entire week so it’s no use. Kings Row stays open for the break though. Are you going home?”

“No.” He wasn’t planning on going home until the winter. He didn’t exactly know how to tell his mom about all of this just yet. Jesse had tried to convince him that Nick could come to Thanksgiving at the Coste house, but Nick had ignored it. The last thing he wanted was to get his hopes up for that. “At least we can stay at school together.”

_______________

Nick texted Jesse when they arrived. He had his fencing bag over his shoulder and it felt heavier than usual. He shouldn’t be nervous. It was just a fencing match. 

Inside was a large banquet room, set up with a piste in the middle and tables encircling it so that the center of attention would be the fencers. 

Nick paled at the sight at first. Fencing didn’t usually make him nervous. Not like it did Eugene and even Seiji could get nervous after losing a critical match. But Nick knew if he was thinking too hard during the match today then he’d slip up. He’d lost to Eugene like that during tryouts. He wasn’t about to slip up in front of Robert. 

He just had to keep his mind clear and fence. Nick wanted to fence. That’s what he needed to remind himself of. 

And he’d be fencing Jesse. Jesse was a near perfect fencer. Though Nick still thought Seiji was obviously the best, Jesse was still a formidable opponent. Realistically Nick knew he couldn’t win against Jesse. Not now at least. 

But Nick didn’t need to win. He just needed Robert to look at him and see him next to Jesse and see his potential. 

The fencers who signed up to fence for the event were all shuffled into the bathrooms, which were not at all meant to be used by dozens of boys at once. Nick didn’t see Jesse anywhere, but he kept close to Seiji.

Seiji had signed up to fence as well since he was expected to. He was Seiji Katayama, after all. 

“Nicholas,” Seiji said as they left the crowded bathroom. He brought his hand to the center of Nick’s back, between his shoulder blades. “Make sure not to tense up here. You’ll do great.”

Nick would have rolled his eyes and asked Seiji to critique his technique any other day but right now he hoped Seiji was right. 

“Thanks,” Nick said. He rolled out his shoulders to try and relieve as much tension as he could, but just Seiji’s words relieved more tension. 

Seiji left to meet his fencing partner beforehand and Nick waited by the piste. His match with Jesse was in a few minutes. 

“Nick!” Jesse said as he walked over to him. 

“Hey,” Nick said.

“Father is going to watch us like we planned,” Jesse said, confident and grinning. “But don’t think about him. Just fence me like you did at Kings Row. If it was clear to me that we fenced similarly, it will be more than obvious to Father.”

Nick nodded. Jesse was right, hopefully. Robert would notice him. He’d been watching Jesse fence for years so it made sense he would recognize something in Nick.

“Nick,” Coach Williams waved him over. Her arms were crossed but she didn’t seem mad. He walked over to her as he put on his fencing glove. 

“Yeah, Coach?” Nick asked. 

“Thank you for agreeing to fence at the banquet. You’re going to do great, okay? Just fence like you’re at practice,” she said and smiled.

Nick was stunned at first. It wasn’t odd to hear Coach Williams support him. She had from the start, before he even made the team, but it meant so much more now even if she didn’t know it. He’d have to tell her and Coach Lewis the truth after tonight too. 

“I will. Thanks, Coach,” Nick said and he walked onto the piste where Jesse was. Jesse gave him a small smile of encouragement before putting on his mask. 

Nick glanced at Robert who was standing near Exton’s table. His eyes were on Jesse, as Nick assumed they’d be. His goal was to make Robert look at him. 

Nick glanced around for another moment and saw Seiji standing with Eugene and the rest of the team too.

The referee signaled the start of the match and suddenly Nick couldn’t see anyone else but Jesse. 

_ I want to fence. _

Jesse quickly lunged forwards first, not at all merciful. Good. Nick didn’t want him to be. 

Nick dodged the hit just in time, quickening his steps. 

Nick knew he was fast. It was one of the only skills he was known for. He’d make sure Robert knew it too. 

Nick parried another one of Jesse’s attacks, this one faster than the last time. Jesse was quick to reorganize himself and he lunged forwards again and he got his first hit on Nick, but it was more of a chance hit than an assured one. It was on Nick's wrist. 

Nick decided he’d have to speed up now. He had the agility and the stamina for such, so he did. 

He waited for a time when Jesse was revealing an opening. Nick saw it when Jesse was parrying Nick’s attack. A small portion of his chest near his shoulder was exposed. Nick extended his arm in an instant and got his first hit.

It took everything in Nick not to look at Robert’s face. He wanted to see his stunned face. Instead he saw Jesse’s. Jesse had probably forgotten how fast Nick was. 

Jesse’s technique was undeniable. It had been from the first day he’d shown up at Kings Row and had understood every strange fencing term that sounded like white noise to Nick. But even Jesse had come to admit the two had similarities in the foundation of their fencing styles, their agility, and their handedness. Nick could tell Jesse wasn’t going easy on him, but he was giving Nick ample time to show off his better skills. 

Nick and Jesse both knew why. This wasn’t just a fencing match, it was a performance for Robert. Nick wondered if Robert was watching them, staring between them and realizing how he didn’t just see himself in Jesse but in Nick too. Nick hoped that’s what he was doing.

The match continued like that with Nick trying to increase his speed with every hit Jesse took on him. Nick had managed to get seven hits on Jesse but Jesse still won in the end. 

Jesse and Nick shook hands. “You’re faster than I remember,” Jesse said but he had a smile on his face. “There’s no way he didn’t notice.”

Nick smiled and looked at Robert. 

Nick saw Robert already walking up to the piste, his eyes pinned on Nick in something like confusion or maybe shock. Nick couldn’t tell. 

At the last moment, Robert turned to Jesse and rested a hand on his shoulder. “Well done, Jesse.”

“Thank you. It was a tougher match than usual. The boys at Exton don’t have the same speed that Nick does.” Jesse gave a smile of encouragement to Nick. 

“No, they don’t,” Robert agreed, turning his attention to Nick. “You have natural agility, I am impressed. Not many fencers are able to get seven hits on Jesse. You go to Kings Row?”

“Yes, Sir.” Nick suddenly felt relieved he wasn’t in his wrinkled suit anymore. Robert was even more intimidating than last time. 

Nick felt numb in his fingers as they gripped his mask. He took off the glove as well, since he was already sweating from the match. 

“And you’re left handed as well,” Robert remarked. Nick couldn’t quite read the emotion in his voice.

“Yes, Sir.”

“My name is Robert Coste,” he said, extending a hand. 

Nick shook it and he felt his body tense. He was talking with his father. Did he know who Nick was? The way he was studying Nick made Nick think that perhaps he did. 

“Your name is Nick?”

Robert began walking back to the Exton table that was now mostly empty since two of the Exton boys were fencing next. He waved Nick along with Jesse. 

Nick swallowed hard and followed Robert. He nodded. “Yes, Sir,” Nick said. He was going to leave it at that but then he said, “Nicholas cox.”

Robert slowed his pace to turn around and meet Nick. Jesse was watching Robert’s reaction. Nick glanced around to make sure no one was watching. They were now far enough away from the piste and the other tables that no one was near them. 

“Your last name is Cox?” Robert asked, his face paling. 

Nick nodded and forced the lump forming in his throat now. 

His eyes went wide. “May we talk somewhere more private?” Robert asked.

Nick nodded. Jesse didn’t bother asking if he was okay to come along. He knew Nick needed him there and Nick did. 

They walked back into the hall and towards a side entrance. Outside was a porch overlooking the forest. It was colder than Nick expected because he was still sweating, but he didn’t mind it in the end. It was better than discussing it anywhere else inside. 

Before Robert could speak any more, Nick spoke up. “I know who I am. Who you are.”

Robert pressed his fingers into the bridge of his nose after another moment of hesitation. “Jesse, can you please give Nicholas and I a moment alone?”

Nick could tell by his voice that he fully expected Jesse to listen. But Jesse didn’t. “No,” Jesse said. “I want to hear what you say. And I want to be there for Nick.”

“You,” Robert began but stopped. “You knew?”

Jesse nodded. 

Robert was still shocked but he turned his attention back to Nick. “You’re really my son?”

_My son_. Nick nodded. The tightness in his chest slowly loosened. 

“How did you... did your mother tell you?” Robert asked.

“She told me when I was young. I…” Nick stopped but Jesse nodded in reassurance. Robert glanced between the two of them, clearly stunned. “I realize this isn’t the best time to tell you, but I just... I need you to know the truth. Jesse figured it out but the only reason he didn’t tell you was because of me.”

Robert blinked. “I... no I’m not upset that you told me. I was wondering something... when I saw you fence Jesse. There was something very familiar about the way you fenced.”

“I haven’t had much formal training,” Nick clarified, “but I’m trying to learn now. I, uh, I wanted to tell you when I was better. But after the news leaked, I haven’t been able to think of much else.”

Jesse nodded, silently approving of Nick. It meant a lot coming from Jesse, who’d given him countless tips on how to speak to Robert. 

Robert’s face was stern. He glanced at Jesse. 

“So you know this is your brother?” He asked.

Jesse nodded. “And I want him to be,” he said. Jesse had agreed to argue on behalf of Nick. “I don’t think Mom would be mad. She’d be more mad to see you abandon your son.”

Robert still looked conflicted but he nodded. Nick wondered when he should speak again. He was waiting for something. Nick was waiting for Robert to walk away but he didn’t. 

Nick continued, his breath becoming shakier. “I know how it would look if everyone knew I was your son. I... you can have time to think about, if you want.” Nick wasn’t exactly sure what to say now, but Jesse was nodding so he figured he was doing okay. 

“I don’t need to wait,” Robert said firmly. “I can’t just abandon you.”

Nick’s eyes widened. 

“Nicholas, I’m so sorry. For everything. I know you must think I abandoned you. Your mother never called me afterwards to tell me she had you. If she had I would have been there for you somehow. In any way I could.”

Nick nodded, close to tears again. It was so strange to hear such comforting words from Robert when he expected nothing of the sort. 

“And, Jesse, I am sorry to you too. You must have had to realize everything I did to your mother alone.”

“I wasn’t alone,” Jesse protested. “I had Nick.”

“I’m glad,” Robert said. “I know I have been dishonest. The news leaking the information was unexpected so I tried to erase it. But I can’t. I still didn’t want the press knowing but I already told my wife the truth and I will tell her about you too. I can speak to your mother too, Nicholas, if you and she want me to.”

Nick hesitated. He would speak to his mom first, before Robert did. “Thank you. I’ll tell her first and see… what to do from there.”

Robert nodded. “I know it is not my place to suddenly assume I am a father figure to you, Nick. I have done nothing to earn your trust yet. But whatever I can do to help, please let me know.”

Nick cleared his throat. “Thank you.” He didn’t know what else to say. He was happy and relieved, more so than he thought he’d be. But Nick hadn’t thought this far in advance. 

“Wait,” Robert said, as if expecting Nick to walk off now.

Nick glanced up at him. “Yeah?”

“You and Jesse… At first, I was confused why you two were paired up to fence. Did you two agree to fence because of me?” 

Nick smiled at Jesse for a moment and then Nick nodded. “We fenced before and we realized that it would be easier to see our similarities when we were fencing side by side. I thought that maybe you’d see something.”

Robert hesitated for a moment just staring at Nick. “I... did notice the similarities. There is something in the way you fence that reminds me of Jesse and of myself, which now makes sense. But I think you are faster than Jesse is and certainly faster than I am now.” His mouth quirked in a smile that was genuine, nothing like what Nick had seen in the papers or online before. 

Jesse was rolling his eyes but he didn't argue with the fact that Nick was faster.

Robert continued after a moment. “You didn’t have to fence Jesse though. I know how you must think I train Jesse to ensure that he is successful in the fencing world, but if he didn’t want that, I wouldn’t force him. He loves fencing and to me it is clear you do too, but you could have told me who you were even if you hated fencing.”

Nick laughed. He couldn’t even imagine hating fencing. But despite the laugh Nick felt a tightness in his chest that almost made him want to cry. Nick didn’t have to try and prove himself to Robert that he was worthy of something. 

“Thank you,” Nick said.

“Father,” Jesse cut in again. “I want to get to know Nick as my brother. We’ve talked at Kings Row and I think… I think we’d be good brothers.”

Robert nodded. “Is that what Nicholas wants?” He was staring at Nick.

Nick nodded. “I do want that,” he said quietly. “And you can call me Nick if you want.” 

Jesse smiled to Nick. 

“Perhaps this is too forward, but, Nick, if you want, you are more than welcome to stay with us for Thanksgiving.”

Nick’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected an invitation like that so soon. He nodded and Jesse beamed. Part of him knew that if he declined Jesse would have found a way to drag Nick back with him anyways. 

It was strange, Nick thought, to have a brother like Jesse. One that seemed so open to getting to know him. And a father that seemed just as open as well. “I would like that,” Nick said nodding. “But I can’t… I promised Seiji I’d be staying at Kings Row for the break.” 

Nick was not going to let Seiji stay at Kings Row alone. He couldn’t just leave Seiji. 

“Seiji Katayama?” Robert asked. 

Nick nodded. “He’s my roommate… and my boyfriend.”

“Seiji can come too,” Jesse suggested before Robert could say anything. “If he wants.”

Robert nodded. “Of course. He is an old friend and we’d love to see him again.”

Nick smiled. They talked more about the plans until Robert was called away by other coaches who were in charge of running the banquet, leaving Nick and Jesse to walk back alone.

“Thank you,” Nick said to Jesse, “I really don’t think I could have done… any of that without you or without Seiji. But you fencing with me and being there with Robert, it helped a lot.”

Jesse shrugged. “What are brothers for?” He glanced down at his phone. “Shit, we should go back. Eugene is going to kill me if I miss his match.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! <3
> 
> (Also I realize how unrealistic this is but I wanted at least one happy endings with Robert despite my fear for what's gonna happen in canon :(

**Author's Note:**

> This was kinda a wild first chapter cause I'm shifting from Seiji's pov to Nick's, so I apologize about that. Thank you for reading! <3


End file.
